Simple Toys for Simple Minds
by Alaena Night
Summary: [IchiRuki] A drabble and oneshot collection compiled of Ichigo and Rukia's experiences with real world items. [26: Hold Me] Rukia forces Ichigo to buy ice skates, and proceeds to torture him on ice. He ends up in her arms, and neither cares to let go.
1. Slushie

**Slushie**

**Interesting Note: **As of chapter 25, this story is exactly **33,333** words. I feel bad that I'll be adding a new chapter soon and ruining the number, lol... I love strange numbers, and was really surprised to see the word count.

**Disclaimer: **_For this and all chapters that follow, I do not own Bleach. I do own a crazy imagination, however, which will probably become apparent as (and _if_) you __read. Suing would be unproductive, though, since I'm poor as dirt. Thanks so much for stopping in! You'll find more fluff than is healthy for your sanity, a fair amount of angst and the occasional story that is nothing but **crack. **_

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Rapt, she watched. Nothing entered her mind but the object in front of her. She examined it, pressing her nose to it for better observation.

"Rukia, what are you _doing?_"

"This is fascinating, Ichigo!"

Sitting at the counter of the little restaurant, Ichigo turned and glared disinterestedly behind him. His shoulders sagged as his eyes caught in the dark-haired Shinigami's wide eyes. A huge grin stretched her face, eager and genuine as her chin rose, tilted and dipped in motion with the spinning object of her attentions.

"Ooh..."

"Rukia, they're staring."

She pressed her tiny hands up against the plastic as the slushie machine turned the semi-liquid around once more. The bright green slush spun around in the tipped cylinder, a neon waterfall. "What is this, Ichigo?"

He sighed, slowly getting up, walking forward and slapping Rukia's hand away just before she jerked on the nozzle. "You idiot! Don't touch any buttons! Do you remember what I told you?"

She sighed and backed away, childish admiration gone from her voice, replaced with complete cool. "I was just asking a question. What is it?"

Ichigo tapped on the cylinder and sighed. "It's called slushie. It's bits of ice with flavored...stuff. It's boring. Come on. Sit _down _and wait for the others to get here." As far as he was concerned, it was his misfortune that Ishida, Inoue and Chad hadn't been waiting when he and Rukia had arrived. Something must have kept them. He sighed as Rukia's nose went back to the slushie machine as if magnetically drawn.

"But it's so...green. And lookit! It's so...cute!"

His eyes wandered to the fuzzy white bear emblazoned across the machine.

Rukia touched the polar bear.

Ichigo grumbled and shifted on his feet. "Hey, will you shut it if I get you one?"

Her usually calm blue eyes widened and brightened. "Oh, really? Please!"

Ichigo felt a smile inside that didn't reach any farther than his heart. His face remained unchanged. "Yeah, whatever it takes to drag your stupid face away from it." He self-consciously took a medium-sized cup and started to touch the lever, but he saw Rukia raising herself so eagerly on her toes and stepped back. "Do it." It was a gruff order more than a suggestion. He really hadn't meant to sound that way. Softening his voice—but only slightly—he explained. "The grip there...pull on it and it'll fill your cup."

She seemed amazed with his explanation. Stepping forward, she grabbed the lever and began to pull. There was no care or caution about it. She pulled as hard as she could. The slush poured unbelievably fast into the waiting cup. She was watching the lever, however, and not the cup, and even when it was near the brim, she didn't show any signs of letting go of her newfound toy.

"Rukia!" Ichigo grabbed her hand and pulled it away. Little bits of slush dribbled down the side. Ichigo went to the counter, both to pay and to apologize to the owner. When he returned, he slapped a lid and a straw onto her cup.

"You're more trouble than you're worth, you know that?"

She settled her small, slender body on the counter, happily slurping at the slushie. A rapturous grin split her face, and he supposed he didn't much care about whether or not she made a scene.

She sucked until it became too thick, and then took off the top, finishing it with the aid of a spoon. Ichigo watched the whole time from beneath his eyelashes. He was glad that she was happy. She looked up at him and grinned, lips tinted the most brilliant shade of neon green. Her appearance sort of blew the seriousness of her words away, but she whispered, "Thanks."

He sighed exaggeratedly. "Yeah, yeah. No more buttons for you, though."

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**Author's Notes: **_LOL, my first attempt at IchiRuki, one of my most favorite Bleach pairings! I've always thought that the way that Ichigo and Rukia interacted was adorable, and I love the way she is so serious sometimes, and yet so uncertain when it comes to little things in the real world. Hope it was okay! **Please review!**_


	2. Push Me

**Push Me**

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"You know, this is boring." Rukia sighed and placed her hands on her waist. She picked a few things from a nearby shelf and dropped them all into the cart. "I mean...doesn't _Yuzu_ usually shop for you guys?" She rolled her eyes in exasperation as Ichigo picked the random items out of the cart and replaced them on the shelf.

"Well, she's sick," Ichigo said. "So we have to pick up the slack. No whining." Ichigo held a list up to the light. "I've got the...wait. What the hell? Rukia...what does this say?"

Rukia looked and read off the remainder of the shopping list. "Good enough?"

"Yep." Ichigo grinned. "Yuzu's writing is too squished and swirly. I figured you'd be able to read it. I mean, since your drawings suck so bad. Great minds think alike and all that. The opposite must be true, too, right?"

Rukia kicked him discreetly in the shin, all the while smiling acidly. Ichigo lapsed into silence.

Ichigo looked down at the floor while he shopped, so it was only when he felt the slight increase in weight on the cart that he noted Rukia's presence. She stood on the back of the cart, facing forward. Ichigo stopped. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to have some fun. _You're _the one who made me come along. Push me, Ichigo."

She sounded like the captain of a ship, and the illusion was solidified by the way she pointed forward. She stole the shopping list from Ichigo and directed him through the aisles, making him pick up the items. "Just push me!"

He liked the lighthearted—if slightly sadistic—look of glee on Rukia's face, so he didn't put up too much of a fuss. She grinned, finally lifting herself to a sitting position on the edge of the cart.

"Must feel good to be taller than the kids that pass by for once, huh?"

She ignored him, but he supposed she was mentally tallying the abuse he would eventually receive.

"Faster," she ordered.

He weighed the consequences of looking like a total idiot to the feeling of watching her smile fade and he found the scale decidedly lacking on one side. So he pushed her. She saw a box of cereal with a rabbit on the front, however, and he couldn't pry it out of her arms, so they ended up buying it.

"That was fun!" Rukia exclaimed, after making him push her all the way outside—_sadistic witch._

He sighed, exhausted. "Yeah. I guess so."

Rukia held up the shopping list, and in the most horrible mock shock, said, "Oops! _My _mistake! We forgot these last few things." She smiled at him. "I guess you'll have to take me back in."

He kicked the cart when she'd mounted it and pushed it back inside. "Aww, lighten up!" Rukia said. "Remember...'no whining.'"

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**Author's Notes: **_LOL, okay, just some IchiRuki torture. I usually don't like it when she beats him up, but the idea was too cute to pass up. I hope it's okay! Reviews make me happy! Please make me happy! Next up: Escalator_


	3. Escalator

**Escalator**

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He stood at the top and she at the bottom. He reached forward and she stepped back, arms crossed at her sides. "I'm not coming up!" she cried. "And you can't make me," she added for good measure. "Where are the stairs, anyway?"

Ichigo sighed. "Look, there _aren't_ any. Just come on up!"

"Uh-uh." Rukia shook her head. "You come down here."

Ichigo slumped, leaning against the railing. "It's not like it's going to eat you, ya baby. What are you whining about?"

"I'm not afraid of it! I just...don't like how it looks." Rukia nodded firmly.

"Well, I think you _are _afraid."

Rukia stiffened. "What?"

"You heard me."

"Hmmph." Rukia bit her lip and threw a caustic glare up to the orange-haired devil at the top. He just leaned forward onto the railing, his usually lowered eyebrows raised challengingly. She swore if she arrived at the top in one piece, she'd whack that smile right off of his face. She looked down. The stairs seemed to come from nowhere, and it looked like they were maliciously begging for something to snag on those sharp little edges so they could suck her into oblivion.

Hollow's teeth. That's what they looked like.

She shuddered inside but didn't let it show. If she'd learned anything from living with Nii-sama, it was that weakness was not tolerated. A noble showed no emotion. So she inwardly swore very violently to haunt Ichigo beyond the grave if anything happened, and outwardly stepped gracefully onto those malevolently chomping stairs.

She gasped at first as she started rising. Stairs were most certainly never meant to be this way.

Of course...all those stairs up to the Soukyoku _were_ pretty tiring...

Maybe these people were on to something.

Nonetheless, when she arrived at the top, she got off quickly.

Ichigo smirked as she looked thoughtfully down the magic staircase.

"Ha!" he said. " See, I told you. It's no problem at all. Escalators are very easy to get used to once you've tried them. They're actually sort of—" Ichigo turned around. "Ru—Rukia? Where'd you—?"

But she was on the down escalator. She stood nobly in the center, arms crossed gracefully over her front.

"What are you _doing?_"

She grinned back at him. "I just wanted to see what it was like. You know...to get used to it."

"But now you'll have to come back up! We're gonna be late!"

She shrugged, grumbling, "It's not like you really warmed up to your father's idea anyway." Once at the bottom, she hopped off and made a beeline for the up escalator.

Ichigo growled. "But that's—_You_ know..."

His father, upon seeing Ichigo come home with Rukia for the third time that week, had decided to do some matchmaking. He subtly—or his version of subtle, which was about as delicate as a stampeding herd of elephants—suggested the couple—Oh, had he said _couple? _Ooooops—join him and the girls for dinner at a little restaurant. At that, he had shooed the two off, insisting that Rukia get something cute to wear at the mall.

Oh so sadly, he had told them, he was too busy, and so he had sent the two off alone to the mall.

Which was how they arrived in this mess.

Rukia looked up and grinned. "See! I'm not moving!" Her feet beat a perpetual tune on the up escalator as she ran down, keeping a mathematically even pace and staying in the same spot. Her pride was so apparent that he could feel it from where he stood and pretended not to watch. He supposed he could—and should—have told her that she was making a complete fool of herself. He supposed he should also have told her that time was ticking steadily away, but he couldn't bring himself to interrupt her. At least...not right away.

She finally stopped keeping pace and quickly ran down, nearly running into a very large woman carrying three full shopping bags. She lithely got out of the way, making a U turn and heading up the down escalator. She started on the bottom step, moving up to the next one right as the stair she was on folded down and sucked away. She finally slipped up and went sliding, but it didn't stop her. She went halfway up the up escalator and got bored of it, vaulting over the rails.

Ichigo also supposed he should have told her to—

"Hey! Hey, you! Stop right there!"

Too late.

A hawk-eyed security guard shook his fist at Rukia and started after her as she laid herself down casually on the stairs. They brought her to the bottom and pushed her off. She remained on the floor, flat out and giggling.

"Rukia!" Ichigo yelled. "Get up here!"

She saw what he was talking about and didn't waste any time. She scrambled to her feet and ran up. It was only misfortune that she timed her last step wrong and fell flat out. The guard caught up far too fast. Ichigo grabbed Rukia under the arms before she hit the ground, and vaulted off. If there was anything good about his long legs, it was that they were much longer than his pursuers'. He took a turn and landed in a rack of criminally frilly dresses, pulling Rukia close so she wouldn't stick out.

It was really stupid, especially in such a situation, but he realized that she fit very nicely in his lap.

He felt a sting on his cheek, and it took a while to realize it was a slap. "You're...squeezing...too hard!" Rukia gasped as he released her. "You know, I don't need someone to watch after me. If I'd kicked that guard in the kneecap he couldn't have stood, and then _we _wouldn't have had to run. I know how to watch out for myself."

"It doesn't work that way here."

He left her to question his words as he peeked out from the clothing rack. "Okay, he's gone. Let's get you that dress."

"A loose one," she said. "And not frilly. Nothing frilly. I'll _kill _you."

He let her go and they both got out. She ended up choosing a cornflower blue one with very thin straps. The color made her eyes something else. The blue dress set off the deep sapphire of her eyes, something which she hardly noted as she tried it on. It would normally have been very tight, but thanks to her slim build, it hung loosely enough, falling just a bit past her knees. "This is too pretty," she grumbled when Ichigo made her step out of the changing room.

"No!" he said numbly. "No...get that one."

She stuck her tongue out and stepped back in. She peeked under the door and saw him watching. She laughed at herself, wondering why she cared.

Ohh...She'd get the blue dress. Not because he cared, though. It just seemed too much of a hassle to look around anymore.

Rukia redressed and hung the blue dress tenderly over her arm. She stepped out, and Ichigo purchased it for her. She wasn't going to say thank you, but she did grin.

Okay. Maybe she was a little happy that he liked it.

They saw the guard coming their way, and Ichigo said, "You wanna go fast?"

She nodded.

Unexpectedly, he picked her up, holding her like one would a young child, and ran straight down the escalator. By the time they got outside, he was winded. He laid her down against the wall, and sat there himself.

"So, what'd you think of your first time at the mall?"

Rukia thought a moment. "I like escalators," she said.

But her grin had very little to do with escalators just then.

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**Author's Notes: **_Oh God, someone kill me! It's...it's...it's **fluff! **::gets a hold of herself:: I'm not a really fluffy person, as you may be able to tell. If you're reading, I'd love you to death if you sent a review to tell me if I did it okay! I'm a lot more used to writing dark and depressing stuff... ::blush::_


	4. Makeover

**Makeover**

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"Ah...guys? You know, I really do have to get going. I'm so sorry. I don't think this is a very good idea..."

All of this was said while carefully sweetening her speech to indicate schoolgirl innocence, and waving halfheartedly in an attempt to get them to _back off. _Sometimes this whole sweet and innocent routine was freakin' hard to pull off. Rukia smiled really wide at the girls. "I really have to get home, you know. I've been invited to a picnic with the Kurosaki family, and I shouldn't be late!" Rukia got out of the little seat in the sports shed at school. The girls had all gathered today to talk, and they ended up in here to escape the heat, and _what_ subject had come up?

Chizuru, standing in front of Rukia, pushed her back down just a little too enthusiastically. "Come on, Rukia-chan! It's really fun! Besides, you have to look your best!"

"But I've never...I've never really done anything like this before. I really shouldn't."

She supposed she shouldn't have said that. But it was true: there weren't exactly cosmetic vendors in Rukongai. You were more likely to find dead bodies and black market trading. She hadn't had the time to be very womanly in the academy, either, and her whole life so far past that point had essentially been lived as a tomboy, a babysitter or a prisoner.

"You've never worn makeup?" Orihime said. She leaned forward. "Really? But you're so pretty!"

Rukia blushed and waved the comment away modestly, not trying to understand Orihime's logic.

Even when she'd come to the real world, makeup hadn't been anywhere near her top priority. "Ahhm...Nope."

"Ooh, so it's her first time," Chizuru spoke excitedly, leaning down and smiling. Appreciative _oohs _and _ahhs _came from the background. Tatsuki, who had come only because of Orihime, gave a snort.

"First-timer? Big whoop. What's the use of face-caking, anyway? I don't bother with that kind of stuff too much."

Everyone ignored her.

"Sooo, Kuchiki-san? Please?" Orihime said. "You've just been so sad and distant, and so we wanted to do something to cheer you up!" Orihime held up a little bottle filled with a sticky, gooey-looking substance. "Say cheese!"

Chizuru giggled and grabbed Orihime by the waist. "That's so cute, 'Hime!"

Tatsuki subtly broke the two apart with a well placed kick to the back of Chizuru's knees. Orihime, oblivious, looked back as her friend fell. "Did you trip? Are you okay?"

Chizuru nodded. "Fine," she said, plastering a pained smile on her face.

Ignoring Rukia's agonized protests, Orihime got to work. She made Rukia clean her face up, then said, "Here. Rub this all over."

"Uh...what?" Rukia took the little circular pad, pulling on either side and examining it closely. It smelled a bit like dirt and burnt toast. "Why?"

"'Cause! It'll even out the tone of your face and stuff like that. At least, I think so. Right?"

She shrugged when no one answered. Michiru, who had before been standing in the background, stepped forward with a grin. "You need any help?"

Orihime nodded gratefully. "Sure. You shake this up, okay? We have to do her hair, too, right?" Then Orihime handed Michiru a bottle of hairspray. Michiru absently shook it. Rukia just sat in the middle of everything, hoping that she'd come out of this alive.

After a few minutes of their attentions, she was so surrounded in mists and sprays and makeup that she was sure she'd die of asphyxiation. She would rather have endured hours of physical torture than sit in this seat while bubbly girls one-tenth of her age googled over her appearance. Michiru looked at Rukia's face and exclaimed manically, "Eyeshadow!"

Rukia jumped three inches, "What is this...eye shadows?"

"It's just some _shiny_ stuff we can put on your eyes. Blue, I think, or purple will work for you. I have some in my purse..."

Rukia choked on a half-hearted protest. "K—kill me now. Please," she whispered as Michiru took a small, sewn purse and emptied its contents onto the table in front of her. Tins and containers and cases rolled in every which way.

"Hmm, Kuchiki-san?" Orihime stood up straight. "Did you say something?"

She shook her head and didn't speak. Chizuru handed her a tube of something called lipstick, and Rukia pulled it until it came in half. She wondered if it was supposed to do that. No one seemed to horribly shocked, so she started to apply it to her nails. It was a nice red. Maybe that was what it was for. She'd seen a few girls with colored nails before...

Orihime started laughing and Chizuru gaped at her mauled lipstick. "What are you _doing?_"

Rukia could have sworn that Tatsuki grinned. Orihime shook her head and cleaned Rukia's nails. "That won't do..."

Rukia just wondered why her face felt like it was all dried up and crunched together.

In that moment, she swore she'd never, ever get within a mile of this horrid stuff. It was frightening to imagine what she looked like.

"All done!" Orihime exclaimed at last, and Rukia, dizzy from hairspray fumes and feeling the urge to giggle and scream like a maniac at the same time, rushed to her feet and ran out of the little shed. She felt like a medical experiment gone horribly wrong. She almost ran straight into Ichigo, but stopped just in time, bent nearly double, gasping in huge lungfuls of air. All she could think was that she was glad her face was out of view for the moment.

"Rukia, where've ya been? I'm gonna kill you, seriously! Karin and Yuzu have been ready to go for twenty minutes! Didn't I tell you that you were supposed to come at _five?_"

Rukia glanced up at him, her eyes huge. "Get...them...away from me," she hissed.

Ichigo didn't seem to be too preoccupied with that. He was looking at her face. "Rukia? Is that _you?_ Um...whoa. I mean...what happened...to your face?"

Rukia wanted to hide it. "I'm never going to go near it again, I—"

"It's not...bad." He said appraisingly. "It's just..." He looked at her, and his voice trailed off. He seemed kind of shocked at the terror and defeat in her eyes. "It's...ah...nice. You look very nice, Rukia. And..."

The tiniest bit of life crept back into her eyes. Orihime stepped out and shoved something into Rukia's hands. A mirror. Rukia barely dared to look, and when she did, tried to turn the mirror away.

That—that _girl_ looking at her was blocking her way. Surely she must be somewhere behind there...

But no matter which way she turned it, the image stayed the same. Her hair had been pulled back just a little bit, tied and twisted so that it fell in graceful strands over the back of her head. Long locks of hair dropped softly over her eyes in front, and her face... Dear God, was that really her? A coat of gloss covered her lips. The sheen could blind a man. They'd put a dusting of blush on her cheeks and a light blue eyeshadow on her eyelids. She actually...didn't look as horrible as it had seemed.

"But...but..."

Ichigo looked at the girls behind Rukia, and then his gaze drifted down again. His eyes were as wide as his mouth, which opened and closed robotically. Michiru walked past, poking Ichigo very hard in the stomach. "Aren't you going to say something?" she said very softly.

He seemed even more at a loss for words. Rukia looked hopefully up at him.

"Ah...wow."

Rukia stood up straight and kicked him hard in the shin. "You idiot! Stop standing around. We'll be late!"

Ichigo nodded. His eyes didn't move from her face. "You're sure you're Rukia?"

She glared at him with a fire that would send Yamamoto's zanpakutou running in fear. "Enjoy it while it lasts, dope. This _isn't_ going to happen again."

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**Author's Notes: **_Rukia. Makeover. Two words that don't fit together. At **all**. That's sort of what made me write this. I wanted to see if I could make them fit into an...at least semi-believable story. I tried to make this seem that it could happen to Rukia at the same time that I wanted it to seem a little bit crazy. I really hope I succeeded, but I'm definitely not against constructive crit if I got anything wrong. Many, many thanks to every single wonderful reviewer who left their kind comments and encouraged me to continue! I've been really shocked by how well this has been accepted. **Please review and tell me if I did okay! **(pushes review button forward pleadingly)_


	5. Bunny Ears

**Bunny Ears**

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It was a bright and beautiful Tuesday morning when Ichigo made the worst mistake of his life.

Rukia was out on the street. The grass was green and the skies were blue and she sat, relaxed, on the highest branch of the tree, saved from falling by its sturdiness. The leaves created a whispering shade that bathed her in shifting golden and emerald light, and she breathed in deeply. It was something else up here, a freedom one could never find on the ground.

Ichigo stood at the bottom, his loud voice just about enough to send her flying. "Ruukiaaaa!" he yelled, saying it just the way he always said it, which was always just a little different than anyone else did. He always pronounced the R just a little bit more deeply, and lengthened the last part of her name. She'd gotten used to it.

She sighed, looking down. Rukia kicked off a shoe and hoped it would fall on his head. That's what the dope would get for interrupting her peace and quiet.

Darn. It missed.

"This is what I came out here to talk to you about!" he yelled up at her, retrieving the shoe and waving it at her. It was the white semi-heeled thing that all the girls at school wore. He tossed it to the side, just in case she was entertaining any notions of having it given back to her. "You keep climbing up trees in these things and you'll have to buy more. You don't have money, Rukia. Do you know who that leaves? I've got some tennis shoes. Get your lazy butt down here and try them on."

With that, he walked away.

More out of boredom than curiosity, she dropped from branch to branch, landed smoothly on the ground, and returned to the little clinic/home.

On the table, a very small pair of white and pink tennies was perched haphazardly in a box.

"They're—"

"Yeah," Ichigo cut in. "Little shoes for a little person. Try them on. I'm not going to pay for a pair of school shoes for you, so I figured you might as well have something for while you're here."

Rukia slipped her feet into the shoes, surprised to find that they fit.

"Guesswork," Ichigo immediately said.

Rukia stuck her tongue out at him and started to go back out to her tree.

"Wait, you idiot! Ya gotta tie the _laces!_"

"Laces?"

Rukia had really only worn sandals for as long as she could remember. She returned slowly, said laces dragging on the ground.

"Yes." Ichigo gave one of those huge sighs that made it seem like he was taking on a world of responsibility just being near her. He pointed for her to seat herself by the front door. "Laces. Do you know what those are?"

Before she could think of an adequate comeback, he pointed. "You need to tie them into a bow. It makes the shoes fit tight."

Rukia nodded and knelt down, pulling at the laces to tighten the shoes. "Ah...Ichigo?"

Another one of those sighs. "_Rukia..._"

"What's a bow?"

His shoulders drooped and his expression was so bland she thought it was going to slide off of his face. "Look."

He dropped onto his butt beside her and quickly tied a bow. Then he untied it. "Ya gotta learn to do it yourself. There's some way you havta do it...some silly rhyme or something..."

She looked at him. His tongue stuck out of his mouth just the tiniest bit in intense concentration, so childish that she had to resist the urge not to laugh. She had a feeling he'd used the same expression when learning how to tie his own shoes.

A lightbulb flickered in the dusty attic behind his eyes that Rukia assumed was the poor monkey's brain, and he said, "I got it!" The words were not without a little bit of satisfaction.

He took her shoes into his hands. "Okay. You...you tighten the two laces and sorta tie them. And then... Make a bunny ear." His voice got more and more sure with each word. Rukia perked up at the mention of bunnies. She stared, rapt, at the slender lace his bony fingers held. He'd made a bunny ear.

"Got it," she said.

"Okay...ah...next—" A sadistic glint flared in Ichigo's eyes. "I remember what comes next! You strangle the bunny with the other string, slip the other ear through, and tighten the noose!"

Rukia looked utterly horrified.

Ichigo didn't notice. She got abruptly to her feet and ran out, the other shoe still untied, and climbed up into her tree.

She didn't come down until dinner, and it took him two whole days to get her to talk to him again. He didn't know why he cared. She was too much trouble, anyway. Ever since he'd told her how to tie her shoes, she'd left the laces undone. He'd asked her why, and she'd angrily yelled back at him that _she_ didn't kill bunnies.

He just shook his head.

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**Author's Notes: **A silly story from an equally silly mind! I thought of how Ichigo might remember to tie his shoes, and then I thought about how they always call the loops bunny ears. Uh-oh... So, thus was the birth of this story. Or...something like that. I hesitated a bit before posting, because the site's been down a lot lately, but I finally decided to just go for it. Thanks for reading! **Please, Please Review! **_(gets shiny begging bunny eyes) _Next up: Flush


	6. Flush

**Flush**

**Notes: **_Deepest thanks to my sister, who came up with this particular idea while we were talking about silly things very, very late one night, and who encouraged me to write it._

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Kurosaki Ichigo stood outside of the public restroom, tapping his feet and his hands and anything else that could tap in utter frustration. _Ten minutes!_

Could _any _girl on the face of the whole damned _earth _take _ten minutes_ to go to the bathroom? Ichigo sighed so deeply he thought he'd expel all the air inside him and vacuum-pack his lungs. When that didn't happen, he continued tapping. And swearing. Swearing was fun, too. Every once in a while he'd give in to nerves and pace restlessly around the small, enclosed space, but then he'd stop and tap some more.

Absently, he wondered if the wall behind him—the victim of his frantic fingers—showed any visible bore marks yet. Speaking of bored...

He actually _looked._

None yet. He'd have to work on that.

He thought back. Earlier today, Rukia had been looking a little bit restless. Maybe she was coming down with something. Whatever the reason, he sure as hell wasn't going in the _women's_ restroom to find out.

So he waited.

Kurosaki Ichigo _hated_ waiting.

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Rukia grinned. This was absolutely—what was that word she'd heard?—awesome! That's what it was. And it was so, so fun. She grinned as she skidded on the tiles past the open door and heard the satisfying sound once again. She leaned in the open door, both arms anchoring her as she leaned down, down, down to the object of her attentions, watching as the water swirled.

"Ooh!"

She giggled and clapped, and was on the whole very glad that no one else was in there, because Kuchiki Rukia did not giggle. This was just too fun, though. She watched the water settle once more, and she waved in front of the sensor and stepped away, peeking around the corner and eagerly watching.

The water started to swirl again.

Rukia looked at the toilet, grinning.

She ran to the opposite wall, shooting off with her hands and skidding to a stop in front of the sensor just long enough to set it off. Then she ran to the opposide wall, propelled off of it, and came back, red-faced and eager, just in time to see it flush.

It was a very amazing object. There were no levers, no buttons—it was just magic! It was more fun than juiceboxes and escalators. She ran past several more times, playing peek-a-boo with the porcelain bowl, and then she got bored of it. The automatic blowy-thingies (she was pretty sure they were supposed to be used in the place of hand towels) were very fun, too. She waved frantically in front of the boxy thing and waited until the air blew out. She knelt down like a frog and let the hot air play with her hair. She grinned up at it. She tried to keep her eyes open, but failed. It felt like the air was rearranging her face.

It was_ really_ cool.

Rukia then took the toilet paper, intent on giving this dull and dreary place some much needed decoration.

* * *

Twenty-five.

However insane ten minutes had seemed, twenty was positively unbearable. Ichigo felt an impulsive urging to throw the door open and drag her out of there by himself. In fact, as the moments passed, it seemed less and less crazy. It took what little restraint he had to keep himself stationed outside of the door, waiting.

He occupied himself with happy thoughts, like what he was going to do to her when she finally came out.

When five more minutes had passed, bringing her time in there up to a nice, even half-hour, all restraint had melted away. Ichigo went in.

* * *

Rukia twisted a nice little doily of the white paper around the faucet and had started for that funny little magic toilet when the door slammed open. She glanced over halfheartedly, too engrossed in her fun to care who had entered.

When she felt a strangling grip on the back of her neck, she thought again about caring, and decided it might be a good idea. Glancing up, she found herself uncomfortably close to frightening orange hair and brown eyes that somehow seemed so much more dangerous. "Hi, Ichigo!" she said. "Lookit! Isn't it cute?"

He didn't look. "Half...an hour," was all he said. She could hear his teeth grinding together.

"Hmm? What about it?" she said sweetly. Even though she was up in the air, she extended a foot and swung it over the sensor before withdrawing. It flushed again. "So fun!"

Ichigo let Rukia down, but if she thought he'd let her back to her fun she was dead wrong. He kept his hold of her collar and dragged her behind him like a three-year-old would to his abused teddy bear. The door spanked her feet as he pulled her through it and continued across the floor.

People stared as Rukia crossed her arms resignedly and began talking while Ichigo dragged her away. "That was really fun, Ichigo! Can we come back tomorrow? You can come with me. It's amazing! I'll show you."

Considering that the two had just come from the bathroom, the stares only intensified. Ichigo looked back at Rukia, at her expression, so bright and happy. "Rukia, when we get home, I'm gonna—" She looked up, eyes huge, smile still in place. "I'm gonna...oh, stop it! Just shut up for now, okay?"

* * *

**Author's Notes: **_Insane? Yes. **Definitely**. I hope it's okay! Please review! Thanks again to every person who's reviewed or favorited this story or added it to their alerts. I know I'm a writer but I am absolutely speechless to convey how much I love you guys! (glomps everyone)_


	7. Tightly

**Tightly**

* * *

Ichigo held the tickets in his hand and waved them. "You're sure you wanna do this, Rukia?"

She glared at him, her sapphire orbs boring into him like acid. Her disapproval needed no words. "You think I can't take it?"

He frowned even more deeply, his brows creasing together. "That's not what I meant. What the hell, though. You wanna watch a horror flick, let's go." He shook his head and started walking forward. She followed. She hadn't realized that the theater would be this cold, or she would have worn something warmer. Outside, she liked the temperature. It was nice and warm. Definitely very bearable, considering that she had braved the same heat in her shinigami outfit rather than in a small cotton dress like she wore now.

Inside of this cursed place, though, the air-conditioning was insanely high. It felt like arctic drafts creeping into her bones. What she wouldn't have given for that warm jacket so casually draped around Ichigo's shoulders.

_She could ask..._

No. She couldn't. If it meant asking help from that dope or bearing a bit of frostbite, she'd rather freeze to death.

So she followed him into the theater, watched as he turned in the tickets.

What was this crazy place, anyway? Ichigo had asked something about...what had it been? Theaters? She, of course, had asked what he was talking about. He decided he needed to school her in Earth culture, so he brought her in and told her to pick any movie she wanted. She'd immediately discarded the sweet looking ones. If she hadn't, this would have been more like a...

Dare she say it?

Date.

So she'd picked the scary one. Kuchiki Rukia, shinigami and noble, could definitely handle a bit of _scary stuff. _She'd seen enough in her long life to make even the worst of this culture's "horror films" seem like child's play. Stifling shivers from a sudden blow of frigid air, she followed Ichigo into the dark room.

It was so dark, and so...strange. A huge set of slender stairs stretched up either side. Large amounts of seats specked the room, so many seats they couldn't possibly have been filled. It seemed somber and dark, as if they were a jury and the thing they would view would somehow alter the future.

_Rukia, you've been reading far too much manga, _she told herself firmly. Rukia vaulted down the stairs and received several dirty looks and even more muttered dirty words before Ichigo hauled her back.

"Don't _ever _go to the front, Rukia. Worst mistake you'll ever make, ya stupid idiot."

She stifled the urge to ask why and contented herself with sulking while they picked two seats—with one between them—and sat. Rukia enjoyed the chair. Its base moved up and down and up and down, and if she sat on it while it was up, she was taller than Ichigo. It was a very, very nice feeling to look down on him. The movie started, and she stole some popcorn from the bowl he'd placed in the empty seat between them, flicking it into her mouth. This stuff was positively amazing.

The movie began. The first part bored her. Too mundane. She looked behind her and occupied herself by staring at the reflection from the projector, seemingly inverted and suspended in mid air. After a while, though, she couldn't take her eyes away from the ridiculously large screen. The air in the room seemed to get even colder, and she couldn't bring herself to move.

Ichigo yawned.

It wasn't the blood she minded so much. In fact, she didn't mind the blood at all. She'd seen enough of it that it didn't bother her too terribly. The tension, the psychological terrorism...she didn't like those a lot, but they were bearable.

It was when the female protagonist came face to face with her friend and killed him to save her life that Rukia started shaking. With unfeeling hands, she moved the popcorn bowl away and shifted into the empty seat so she sat next to Ichigo. His hand was stretched out on the armrest, and Rukia unconsciously gripped it tightly, as if drawing from its warmth, assuring herself that this boy, at least, was still alive.

Ichigo gave her a funny look, but he soon turned back to the movie. She noticed but didn't register the increasingly concerned glances he gave her, which at any other time she would have relished. She liked to see him squirm.

She didn't even see the movie.

That same scene, mixing with another one so similar...that's what she saw. Over, and over, and over again.

"Rukia, come on. Let's get out of here."

Unconsciously, she shook her head no, murmuring the word softly.

"Rukia, we're going to go," Ichigo said very firmly. "This movie sucks. I don't like it, so we're leaving, okay?"

He pulled on the hand she was holding until she was upright.

Why couldn't she tear herself away from those memories?

Her legs sagged beneath her.

She was pretty certain he used some rather strong words in an attempt to get her attention, but the only thing she was really sure of was that he ended up lifting her into his arms when she refused to walk. He was so warm...alive. Some of the people around her made pitying noises, some laughed and pointed, but she didn't care.

Neither did he. Somehow, that helped.

He held her close as he walked her outside, into the warm light and the cold, cold air, where he laid her against the door. He looked at her wanly, as if uncertain, and then just fell back on his usual demeanor. "Heya, Rukia, snap out of it!" He grabbed a handful of popcorn—he'd grabbed it on his way out?—and threw it in her face.

The memories faded abruptly, like being pulled from deep water, replaced with the immediate need to slap him.

Which she did.

Ichigo sagged—in relief or in resignation?—and looked at her. "Do you feel better now?" he asked dryly.

She smiled. "Yep," she said.

Ichigo fell back onto his curled up legs and stared at her. "That was a spectacular waste of money," he observed. "Come on."

Rukia considered insisting that they finish the movie, but it wouldn't be worth it. There were some times, she thought, when pride really just wasn't worth it. "It's too cold," she explained, and stood. Having retained the needed shred of her pride, she followed him out into the sunlit lobby.

Absently, he slipped his jacket around her shoulders. "Bring a sweater next time," he said.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **_I had so much fun writing this one! In places, it's slightly more serious than others, but it's still silly and just a bit fluffy. It's been one of the most fun to write so far, so I hope it was equally as fun to read. There are a couple of references in this story to an event that happened in Rukia's past, the cause of her overreaction, but it can be seen any way. Please comment and leave your thoughts!_


	8. Kiss

**Kiss **

**

* * *

**

"That stuff is unbelievably overrated."

The television droned on as Rukia sat in front of it, slender legs curled up beneath her. A large man dramatically sucked a woman into his arms for what looked like a frighteningly wet kiss. Rukia stuck her tongue out and fell back onto the carpeted floor, shuddering a little.

She wondered if those people tasted each other's saliva. She wondered if they could tell what their partner had eaten for lunch. She let out an involuntary moan.

Ichigo glanced up from his homework. "Huh?"

Rukia twisted her neck to get a nice upside-down view of the fiery-haired boy.

"That stuff! Kissing! Come on, not _five_ minutes goes by on this show without someone professing their undying love for some random character and slurping the other's lunches up their throats in one of those nauseating kisses. It's just...overrated."

Ichigo let his pencil down, as if working out a puzzle. "But you read all sorts of stuff in that creepy manga you're always looking at. What's so different seeing it on TV?"

Rukia grumbled and shrugged, then sat up. "You can call me prudish if you want, but there's much more to a relationship than that."

Ichigo smiled briefly before picking his pencil up again. After a moment, he abruptly dropped it. "_I _get it! Rukia!" He vaulted out of his seat, an accusing finger poking into her chest. "You've never gotten kissed before, _have you?_"

Rukia blinked.

Once.

Twice.

"I _knew_ it!"

She was quick to deny it. "Of course I have! I've lived long enough to have been—"

"Nope." Ichigo was very sure of himself now. He perched his lanky body on the top of the couch and looked down at her. "I can tell. This is how Tatsuki used to be. God knows who kissed her, but it looks like she's...well, she hasn't changed. At _all._ But I know it when I see it. For some reason or another, you've never had another guy kiss you, huh?"

Rukia crossed her arms defensively. "Hey! You can't know—"

Ichigo laid his chin atop a slender finger. "Perhaps it's because you were just too darn short to bother bending down for. Huh, whaddaya think of that? 'Course, maybe that Hitsugaya dude could've got to ya without much trouble, but he's so obviously not interested. That seals it!"

Rukia was grinding her teeth so hard Ichigo could hear the crunches.

"So you said that it was such a silly, unimportant thing. Why are you so upset over it? Tell me. I'm right, aren't I?"

Rukia lifted her head and spoke tersely above the grinding. "Yes, Ichigo. You're right. And I still think it's unimportant. I have lived a good life. There just isn't time for trivialities like that."

"There are worse things to waste your breath on," Ichigo said. He slid off the couch so he could be even more in-her-face. His self-satisfied smirk would have made a monk break all his vows and commit murder out of unbearable rage. Rukia was not a monk.

"Youth is allowed to be so foolish," Rukia muttered. "It's a mark of immaturity to—"

She wasn't allowed to finish the sentence. Ichigo roughly pulled her in, stealing her lips with his own. She resisted, the fingernails of her small hands pushing against his chest like claws, but he really was right about that breathless thing. Pretty soon she just didn't have it in her to resist. At least...that's what she told herself.

It...felt sort of nice. Warm. Soft...gentle. She couldn't really taste the toast he'd eaten, which pleased her considerably. It was just warm. It seemed like forever and yet far too soon when he broke off the kiss, stepping back. He looked down at her, and she couldn't look up.

Utterly dazed would probably be a good way to describe her condition.

He nodded once, firmly, satisfied for some unknown reason. "Mark of immaturity? You were saying?"

She didn't say anything. Her lips moved soundlessly.

"Please continue," Ichigo said. "I'm interested to hear how such _trivial_ matters are useless and unnecessary."

She was silent.

"Wh-why?" she finally spluttered.

He shrugged. "I got tired of your stupid ramblings. Your high-and-mighty, holier-than-thou crap was getting on my nerves. Do you feel tainted?" he asked.

Rukia touched her lips. Silently, she turned the TV off and sat back down, a perplexed look on her face. "Wow," she said numbly. "You kissed me."

Ichigo snorted. "Yeah. Consider it a lesson in biology or modern culture."

Rukia finally gathered the sense to be angry. "You—you took advantage of me! I'm a woman—"

"Obviously."

"—And you just—you just—you should be ashamed!"

Ichigo grinned mercilessly. "I'm not the one who held on."

Rukia blushed and switched the TV back on. "Just shut up." He sauntered back to his seat, grinning, and Rukia stared at the screen. Somehow it just seemed dull. She wiped her lips, trying to dredge up some horrendous cursewords and failing.

It would surely be the most unforgivable thing, but she kept thinking that Ichigo's biology lessons were downright fascinating.

**

* * *

**

**Author's Notes:** This story came from a question: Rukia ever _seriously _been kissed? I mean, she didn't know her parents. Hisana left when she was young, and a portion of her life beyond that was spent in Rukongai. **Rukongai...not the best place to cultivate romantic relationships.** The Shinigami Academy? Too busy studying. Afterward? Too busy with noble and shinigami stuff. It's not that I doubt that Rukia has ever been kissed. It's just that I couldn't help writing the "what if" scenario. Thanks for reading! **Please Review! **Reviews make me write faster!


	9. Memories

**Memories for You**

**Disclaimer/Notes: **_This one's a bit less cutesy and more emotional than the others. Don't you worry, though... There's plenty of insanity to go around._

**

* * *

**

"I have to go, Ichigo. I don't have any choice in it."

If she hadn't added that last part, perhaps it wouldn't have hurt so much. If she hadn't said that, he would have just waved her off, because that would have meant she wanted to go. God help him, he could send her anywhere, _anywhere _but a place she didn't want to go.

He could even leave her in Soul Society. He had. She'd _wanted_ to stay there. "When?" He swore harshly at himself. Yes, _very_ nice. His voice was scratchy. "When do you have to leave?" he said again, more indifferent this time. Much better.

"Soon. A couple days."

Ichigo nodded gruffly. "Rukia," he said.

Her face turned up toward his, its gentle demeanor creased with a question. "Hmm?"

"Follow me, okay? I have something to show you."

They both stood. They did so carefully, because the sloping roof of the little clinic was covered in a thin sheet of snow. Rukia tightened her scarf around her face as her breath and Ichigo's billowed into the air, joining briefly before dissipating into nothingness. He crawled into his window and waited for Rukia almost impatiently before his long-buried chivalry won out for the briefest moment and he helped her inside.

"Ichigo, what was—"

"Shh. Stay here. I'll go get it."

"Ah...but—"

He slipped from the room, leaving only the whistling breeze as Rukia's company. She played with the scarf that Ichigo had given her, allowing herself a small smile. It reminded her of her brother's. Sure, it wasn't white and it couldn't fund the construction of ten houses, but she liked it. It was very soft and the cloth it was made out of had been fluffed so the scarf felt like warm clouds against her skin. She'd never tell anyone, but she'd once played with her brother's scarf. It wasn't very soft.

Ichigo opened the door and caught her toying with the smooth cloth. She immediately dropped it, but her hands had no time to do anything. A small box-shaped thing was shoved into her hands. "For you," Ichigo murmured in a monotone.

Rukia looked down at the boxy thing. "Ah. Very nice. But what is it?"

Her scarf was more interesting than the ugly, malformed black box.

"It's...a camera."

"I see."

Silence.

"Ichigo...what's a camera?"

He let out a monstrous sigh and stole the camera thing from her, rolling his eyes as if he was being forced to stay in her company. "It's...just look."

He pointed the camera at her and pressed a button. It made a startling _snap, click _sound, and a piece of black and white paper was thrust through the little opening.

"Oooh..."

Ichigo stole the paper from it and laid it down. "It takes pictures," he said.

"So why are you showing it to me?"

"Not showing. I'm giving it to you, dumbass. So you can take it back with you. While you're here, take some pictures, okay? That way you can remember us all."

Rukia nodded and took the camera from him. Ichigo nodded and looked away.

_Snap, click._

"Rukia!" Ichigo spluttered. "What did you—"

"I took a picture of you," she said. She sat down on the window sill. "It's scientific evidence that you can _blush!_" Grinning, she looked at the paper. "Wait, it's..." She started shaking it. "Darn—!" Finally she smiled, looking at the photo with a satisfied grin. "There we go. It's just...appearing! It's like magic!"

Ichigo swore heartily and tried to snatch the picture away from her. She quickly slipped it into her pocket. "Ah!" She said sharply, sticking a finger up in his face. "You said I could take pictures."

He nodded grudgingly as she wandered around the house, taking pictures of the inside of a microwave and of Yuzu's stuffed bunny rabbit. She got a closeup of a puppy just as it licked the camera, and she took a picture of her favorite branch in the tree across the street.

It was midnight before she packed the camera away and wandered in to bed. "I like this...camera," she said softly from behind the closet door.

Ichigo grunted in bed, moaning something incomprehensible. "Yeah, whatever," he murmured. She could hear something like satisfaction in his voice, though.

Several moments passed in complete silence.

"Memories. It's...that's what she said, when she gave it to me. Pictures are memories that are special because each time you look, you see something new. It's...darn. What did she say? Like a firefly in a jar. 'A captured moment.'"

"She?"

Ichigo didn't reply for a while. "Mom. That was the camera she gave to me. It's really old..."

It was Rukia's turn for silence. "I'm sorry."

Ichigo's voice held a faded smile. "Just go to sleep. I'll..."

But he couldn't finish the sentence, because he _wouldn't _see her in the morning.

When he awoke from a waterlogged nightmare at four in the morning, he knew she was gone without even looking. He felt it, like a hole in the fabric that made up his world. A weight at the end of the bed startled him, and he sat up. His camera lay there, and atop it, a small picture with a note attached.

Her writing was smooth and beautiful for one whose drawings sucked beyond belief.

He read the note. _"Hope you don't mind. I took one last picture of you while you were sleeping. Oh yeah! And I left something for you."_

He picked up the picture to find a tilted close-up of her face. She had a happy smile on, one of those childish grins that denied her age and her pain. Her small face smiled and those huge indigo eyes were stretched wide, the dark lashes embracing the curve of her ethereal irises. Her lips, so light-colored, had slid easily into a smile just slightly tainted with confusion. She'd taken the picture while holding the camera herself, thus the odd angle.

He saw a billion things inside of her eyes. Slowly, he turned the photo around. As an afterthought, a note had been scrawled.

_"A memory for you, Ichigo."_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Notes:** I didn't know there was this much fluffiness inside of me! Gaaah, what have I become? (mourns her loss of angstiness) Nah, I haven't lost it, just temporarily misplaced it. Thank you so much to **everyone **who has reviewed or put this collection on their favorites or alerts. To be honest, when I put the first little chapter up, I had no idea it would do as well as it has. Thank you...to everyone. You guys are so much more than this little writer deserves! I've tried to reply to all the reviews I've gotten. I hope I haven't forgotten anyone!

**Question:** Should I put other IchiRuki oneshots that don't deal exclusively with her ineptitude or interest in real world items? I have a few already written that I haven't posted because I don't know where to put them...


	10. Wheels

**Wheels**

* * *

"I...Ichigo? Is it...like this?"

"No! Don't wobble like that or you'll fall on your butt. Stand straighter. Don't try to walk with them. Glide, you idiot! Like ice skating."

"Like _what?_"

"You don't..." Ichigo growled. "Don't lift your feet so much! You're not stomping through snow, you're rollerskating."

After what seemed like a century of endless commands, Ichigo collapsed onto the park bench, tired in body and in mind. His own rollerskates were secure on his feet. He was able to move easily around the sidewalk; skating had always been natural to him. He hadn't expected it would be so darn hard to teach the little black-haired girl to stay on her own two feet, though. He stretched his sore toes inside of the skates.

While getting his own on, he'd criticized Rukia a bit too much—she couldn't get the skates on because she hadn't loosened the straps, not like he'd point that particular fact out—and she'd stomped her small foot very firmly into a skate and showed him exactly _how _firmly it was fastened by jumping onto his bare toes.

He sighed. She had stumbled and slid away from his view, and her voice was thankfully nowhere to be found. Thank _God. _Sighing deeply, he leaned back in the seat. Sure, solid benches weren't quite the best place to relax, but he'd take whatever he could get right about now.

He'd just let his tense muscles loosen when a scream tore the air. It was agonized...shattering, mixing with the frantic squeal of brakes and the insistent cry of a car horn. It stole every wisp of air from his lungs. "Rukia!" He vaulted from his seat, not expecting the skates that clad his feet. The wheels spun and ground in disagreement with his sudden jump.

It would be impossible to run through the soft ground. He did exactly what he'd told her not to, nearly running over the sidewalk on the skates.

Forget gliding.

He finally stopped to see a car that had pulled to a halt. A telephone pole blocked his view of the front. It was at an odd angle on the side of the road, its menacing front end dented and smoking. He could not see Rukia.

"Ru—Ruki..."

His mouth felt too dry to form words.

"Ichigo!"

Her voice! He spun around, and he suddenly knew with clarity what people meant when they said that their hearts soared. It was a painful feeling, as if the blood rushing through his body had suddenly begun to roar in his veins, but it was the best thing he'd ever felt. "Where are you?"

She stood up, safe, from the car's back, and took several slow steps forward.

"Dope!" he cried. "You're okay! You made me think you'd gotten yourself killed!" _So what did I just run for? _"And you've still not learned a thing I tried to teach you!"

A smile twisted across her features, but it was somehow wrong. The other expression crowding the relief on her face was one he had seen far too often.

Pain.

She lifted her foot onto the sidewalk and her legs crumpled beneath her.

He stood there for a moment until it registered, then he walked hurriedly toward her. "Rukia...are you hurt?"

She shook her head hard, then, slowly, grudgingly, nodded. "But I'm fine! It didn't really hit me. I just tripped and landed a bit wrong."

She stood and tried to walk, but more than simple pain, the expression on her face was closer to agony. Without speaking a word, he forced her back down, tough but gentle, until she sat with legs outstretched on the pavement. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she tried to unclasp the ties on her left skate. "Don't do anything. Ya wanna make it worse? Here...let me." He slid the skate off with nimble fingers, cold against the flaming skin of her ankle. He didn't bother picking the skate up. He gasped involuntarily as he surveyed the colorful scenery. The slender ankle was streaked with scarlet specks of blood and deep red marks that would turn into one hell of a bruise. The ankle had already begun to swell.

"Hey, don't look at me like that, Rukia. My dad's a doctor. I know what to do with this. I think it's a bad sprain, but it might be broken, so...think of something else."

He had to give her credit. As he took the rigid boot out of the skate and used it to secure the tender bone of the ankle, she didn't even flinch.

"You can't walk on it," he said. He winced. The bruises up her leg were already turning black. The ankle was swelling horribly. It must have felt like a torture chamber inside the makeshift splint. They needed to put it on ice as soon as possible. Bystanders had gathered around, making appreciative murmurs and sympathetic _oohs _and _ahhs._

Some people actually came forward to ask if she was all right, but most just gaped at the drama. The car driver began exclaiming how it wasn't his fault, and how Rukia shouldn't have been so stupid as to stumble off of the sidewalk. When the fat, vain driver started talking about the damage his car had sustained, Ichigo stood up, decked the guy, and wished him a nice day before turning back to the girl on the ground.

"Rukia?"

She opened a single eye. Her voice was tense with pain. "Hmm?"

"Rest for a bit. I'm going to carry you."

She didn't nod, but she didn't do anything else, either. Ichigo lifted her small, light body into his arms, careful of the sprain. It wasn't too far to the house. Walking would have jolted her too much, so he skated. It wasn't too far to the clinic. He could see it now. "Rukia, we're almost there."

She didn't reply. She'd fallen asleep curled into his chest. Suddenly a blush spread over his face as he realized exactly what was going on. Rukia. He was _holding her_. In his arms. She wasn't kicking him or yelling. She was...sleeping.

He stayed there for a moment and shifted his weight. In her sleep, Rukia jolted, grabbing tightly to his shirt. "Don't," she said simply.

He didn't know what she was afraid of, but he held her tighter, and she relaxed.

"Don't worry. I'm not gonna let you go. Whaddaya think I am?"

He didn't mind holding her so much, slowing his walk to the clinic just the tiniest bit. He told himself it was so that he wouldn't cause her ankle any pain.

Likely excuse.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **_Squee! Some more IchiRuki. I did put up another IchiRuki oneshot, called Her Shooting Star but despite everything, I couldn't bring myself to put it in this collection, because it had little to do with the novelty of earth items. I may end up submitting some of those later, at some point, though. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think! I've been trying to balance the fluff out with other stuff. How did I do?_


	11. Simplicity

**Simplicity**

**Warning: **_This one is really and truly crack. I mean it. Please consult your doctor before reading. Possible side effects may include confusion, headache, brain damage, and death by overdose of caffeine-induced OOCness._

* * *

They stood in front of the automatic doors. "Okay, lookit. Before we go in here, there are some _rules _you have to observe. Are you following me so far?"

"Following!" Rukia parroted breathlessly as she raced through the automatic doors once more. She caught his eye, tossed him a grin, and raced through again, waiting for both pairs of doors to open before she did a sharp about face and ran back out.

"Stop it!" Ichigo said sharply.

She pulled herself to a breathless halt. "Rules," she reminded him.

Ichigo wondered if it had been a good idea to introduce her to caffeine before heading out. Sure, they'd been up late taking care of a hollow, but...she most certainly wasn't reacting well to the mass amounts of caffeine she'd consumed this morning.

On an empty stomach.

"Okay...well, no touching. That's the most important. You know...no licking your fingers and touching spark plugs or anything. No picking up teddy bears, games, toys...bikes. In fact, keep your hands inside your pockets. Forever. No stopping and staring. No '_Oohhhhhh, what's that, Ichigo?'_ because I sure as heck don't have time to answer any _questions. _You getting me?"

"Getting," she said, grinning.

"Okay, then...you can't..." He couldn't think of any more rules. Not like she'd follow them, anyway. "We're here to buy Yuzu and Karin some presents. Nothing else."

She nodded pointedly and ran inside before he could follow.

The first words he heard were, "Ooh, Ichigo! What's that?"

The doors almost slammed shut on his head as he jolted sharply. "Didn't I _just say—_"

But she was gone.

Perhaps bringing Rukia to Toys R Us hadn't been the best idea. Ichigo considered a leash. It'd still be almost humane..._and _he could keep track of her. "Rukia, you fool!" He wandered aimlessly for a few moments before she—quite literally—popped up out of a pile of toys. "Lookit what it does, Ichigo!" She excitedly wound a little knob and intently stared at a small container. Annoying music played until an evil-looking clown exploded from the box. Rukia jumped, appropriately shocked.

"How fun!" she said, rubbing her hands together. "You know, perhaps they should have these Toy Stores in Soul Society! I'll have to talk to Nii-sama about that. And then they could have Chappy toys!"

"Yeah," Ichigo said dryly. He grabbed her wrist. "Brilliant. Set those whack jobs loose on a _toy store,_ why don't you? That nut Kenpachi would behead all the dolls."

"Do you think Karin would like one of these?" Rukia asked, holding the jack-in-the-box up questioningly as Ichigo dragged her away. She poked the bottom of the box and looked at the long clown neck, wondering how it could all fit in there.

"No, I don't. Karin would probably take it apart, and it'd give Yuzu nightmares."

Rukia watched as a young mother and father showed their infant some toys. It made her happy to see the little family playing so sweetly together. Mother and father crouched and giggled as their baby did. A grin split her face and she pulled her hand from Ichigo's. She blamed that darned coffee. Talk about a buzz!

The boy crawled along the ground, following a toy that clattered about, its fluffy pink hands beating a little drum emblazoned with illegible lettering. Her eyes followed the pink fur up to its little neck and—oh God, it was a _bunny!_

Despite her orders not to touch, it was just too cute to stay away from. Rukia slipped behind a toy aisle and crawled along the floor, stalking her prey until she caught it while it wasn't looking. "Mine!" she cried before she pounced it. The bunny made no reaction. It continued to beat its drum.

Darn, but it was persistent.

She pet its head. The infant began to whimper, pulling at her skirt. Rukia did not spare the child a glance. The mother and father whisked the little child away, murmuring unpleasant words beneath their breath. Ichigo stalked over. "See? It likes me," she said triumphantly, holding the little mammal up for observation.

It took Ichigo a while to explain the concept of _batteries._

She left the rabbit behind grudgingly and they continued their search. Ichigo slipped in and out of the doll aisles, and Rukia looked up at his intent features. She was very fascinated by the strange objects here, but the thing that fascinated her most was his lack of self-consciousness now. Most guys would stay away from all things childish, afraid it would wreck their reputation. Ichigo didn't seem to have that self-consciousness, though...at least not now. This was for his sisters. He regarded those two like princesses.

He finally pulled a brightly colored box off of the shelf and handed it to her. "Ya think she'll like it?"

Rukia looked at the doll inside. It was small, little eyes slipped closed, a tiny blue fuzzy slipped over minuscule hands and feet. It would definitely appreal to Yuzu's maternal side.

Ichigo wandered to the other side of the store to shop for Karin. He looked over boy's bikes, rollerskates, chainsaws, and remote control cars before he settled on a skateboard. He'd turned around to inquire Rukia's opinion, but she wasn't there.

"I—It's eating me, Ichigo!"

By now he was immune to her random outbursts. He slowly turned and walked over to where the scream had originated. She'd wandered into an aisle of trick toys and now had a Slinky slid halfway up her arm. Her fingers were caught in one of those straw tubes, and the harder she tried to keep it from devouring her, the tighter it held on.

It actually did look like the toys were trying to consume her.

"Make it stop!" she cried, dark eyebrows joining in confusion.

By the time they'd gotten out of the store, Rukia had met with innumerable mishaps and was convinced that the toys were demonic beings intent on world domination. She didn't even play with the automatic doors. She huddled very close to Ichigo, yet still far away from the bags he held loosely in his left hand.

When he swung them to his right, she stepped back and held out her hands defensively.

Ichigo smiled. "See? The rules are not only good for my sanity, but yours, too."

She mustered as acid a glare as she could manage.

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**Author's Notes: **Sorry, I went crazy with this one. Thanks goes out to lightningstrxu for suggesting some toys for story ideas! They sort of sparked my imagination. I thought...what's more fun than one crazy thing? A **lot **of crazy things! So thus the idea of Rukia in a toy store was born. Late at night. On a sugar high. Anyway, I _promise_ the next story will be cute, _not_ crack! If anyone would take even a few seconds to drop their thoughts on this crazy story, I'd be _eternally_ grateful. Thanks for reading! **Please Review!**


	12. Catch Me

**Catch Me**

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"Come on in, Rukia!"

It was funny. The rain...he hated it with his very soul. He hated the memories it brought and the tears that welled in his eyes when he thought about it all. He hated the fact that the wounds rain made never seemed to heal. Well, at least, he'd believed that for a long time. He'd tried to freeze the cracks in his inner world away, but she...she was the sunlight that dried the rain and tended to the cracks.

He hated the rain, but he loved the sea and winding streams. He loved water as long as it wasn't falling.

_Waxing philosophical, are ya, Ichigo? Shut yer frickin' trap and work on getting that midget outta there!_

He stared at the dark entrance opposite the one he'd come out of. Standing chest-deep in water, he dryly counted the minutes. "Rukia! Come on. You scared? Look, I know you're used to playing grim reaper in that black sack of yours, but it's not _that bad._ If you don't come out, I'll drag you out! You want that?"

A very distant voice hissed to his ears. "I swear, if you take one step in here I'll gouge your eyes out!"

"Come on, Rukia. You know how you said the roads that led here were confusing? What if I left, right now, and let you find your own way back home?"

"I'm not going to be seen in this...in this...this _thing!_"

He heard a sound that could only be Rukia...squealing?

Another voice, this one familiar. "Oh, Kuchiki-san! You look so beautiful! I think it looks spectacular on you. C'mon, go on out there! Don't be shy. I'm not!"

All this pep talk was rather superficial, because Inoue Orihime emerged from the doors, dragging Rukia behind her. Rukia was screaming and clawing. Orihime just grinned. "Hi, Kurosaki-kun! It's a great day. Don't you think Kuchiki-san looks so pretty?"

Ichigo choked. Rukia, at Orihime's prodding, had worn a two-piece swim suit. Ever since the taller girl had forced her into it, Rukia had been refusing to leave the changing rooms.

Ichigo searched for words. "Ah..."

Rukia looked like a cornered rabbit. Orihime grinned. Ichigo sputtered.

"Um...sure. Yeah," Ichigo said lamely. He gathered his wits and gestured to the clean water around him. "You ever been swimming, Rukia?"

She extricated herself from Inoue and growled at Ichigo. "You think I have time?" she said haughtily. "Unlike some people, I actually spend my time in worthwhile ways."

"Sure," Ichigo murmured. "Keep telling yourself that."

She had already fallen to her butt, and had hugged her legs to her chest. She swiped Inoue's towel and wrapped herself up. "I hope you know I'm _not_ moving."

"Oh." Ichigo nodded and perched his chin on the cool metal of the pool's edge. "I see."

Without warning, he grabbed both of her ankles and pulled her forward suddenly. Her light body was so easy to drag in.

She made a spectacular splash, screaming and swiping at him like a wild animal, spluttering water and colorful words that made half the adults in the pool area gulp and gape. Finally she got upright. Since Ichigo's sadistic grip on her ankles had not been released, she had to grab his shoulders to stay upright. "You—how dare you? I'm gonna—"

But he released her, letting her splash down, and he dove under the water with the ease of a fish. His movements were quick, and by the time he rose three seconds later, he was a safe fifteen or so feet away.

"Come and get me!" he challenged, watching Rukia with barely buried amusement. She'd had to give threats only every few seconds because she was bouncing on her toes. She sank underwater, jumped up on her toes, rasped a few words of her threat, dragged a breath in, and did it all again.

"Ichigo, you—" The curseword was lost in the bubbles. "When I get you I'm gonna _stab you_—" Splash. "—Take your _innards_ into my fingers and—" Another jump. "—Feed them to—" Back up again. "—Kenpachi!"

"Ah. Can you see how scared I am? Oh, wait! You can't because _you're_ too far away!"

"That's _it!_" Rukia cried. She mirrored his actions and dove underwater. He saw her moving closer.

Wait. She could swim?

Did midgets move faster underwater? Were they more streamlined or something? Because she was approaching awfully fast... She surfaced in front of him. "Close enough now?" she asked.

She really looked like she was going to kill him...

Her twisted smile would have sent a shark away whimpering. "I didn't say I couldn't swim, you dope. I said I'd never been to a pool. Very different." Rukia splashed a handful of water in his face and dove again. "Catch me, you baby. You wanted me in? I'm in."

Whoa, she was scary sometimes.

Hours. It really must have been hours. Inoue smiled and watched from the distance, wistfully, until she smiled and waved and said she hoped Ichigo had a very good time, but she had to go. They wished her farewell. Neither saw the sun slipping lower and lower in the sky until the first bit of it disappeared beneath the horizon.

Next week, the pool would be closed. Next week, wind would sweep in and steal the warmth of summer away, replaced with skittering leaves and the song of brisk winds.

He hadn't been able to make her come until today, and only then because he hadn't told her their destination. He'd begged a swimsuit off Inoue. She'd told him it was the one she'd worn when she was eight, but Rukia didn't need to know that.

The sunset was beautiful. It played across the sky in deep golds and maroons, ambers like Ichigo's eyes mixing with indigos and violets like hers. Blue...green...yellow, and the most brilliant pink... it was the world's farewell to summer. Rukia had taken to swimming pretty well, and she wasn't self-conscious about the swimsuit unless she got out of the water, which she hadn't done since he pulled her in.

The lifeguards called a warning. It was still bright, but the pool would close soon. Ichigo got out and made Rukia follow him to the one part she hadn't gone to yet. She stole his towel and wrapped it around her shoulders. When they stopped the two stood in front of the diving board.

"No," she said immediately.

"Yes," he replied. "You never know swimming until you dive. It's different. You said you'd never been to a pool, so I'm guessing you've never jumped off of a diving board. This'll be the last time, Rukia."

It really would. Autumn approached too quickly, crowding the green of the leaves with red, orange and violet. Besides...it wouldn't always be like this. They wouldn't always have time to play around. Soon...soon they would be called to the war with Aizen.

"Jump," Ichigo said softly. "Please. I'll catch you if you fall. I'll wait over there, okay? Right beyond that rope. And if anything happens, I'll pull you up before the lifeguard blows his whistle. I'll pull you up before he can even take a breath."

Rukia snorted. Then she smiled. "You gonna get out of the way, then?"

She climbed up the cold stairs and stood on the board that had gone cold from lack of traffic. A shiver ran from her feet to her shoulders and she rubbed her hands together when a gust of wind whistled sorrowfully through the leaves.

"Bounce, Rukia! Then jump right in!"

She tried, but the board seemed stiff and unrelenting. It took several tries to get it moving. Too fast. The return was too hard. It would propel her too far. This wasn't right...

"Jump, Rukia! Jump right now!"

She didn't know why she listened to that idiot, but at the moment she heard his words, she jumped. It felt like her stomach leapt up to keep her heart company. She saw the shine of the rainbow-colored sunset of the water and she couldn't bear to let her feet meet it first. Her head hit the water and sliced through it, her body following smoothly. When she rose, she was on the other side of the rope. Ichigo was right beside her.

No words were needed.

When they had redressed, they exited out of the front. Rukia glanced at Ichigo.

"Wanna know something?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said. "Sure."

"When you got me to come with you this morning...I heard you scheming. I knew we were coming here."

Ichigo smiled and shook his head.

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**Author's Notes: **I couldn't help it! It was just too hard to resist writing this little thing. I guess it's part cutesy and part silly. (Again.) I hope they mixed okay! And I couldn't help writing Rukia in a swimsuit (she'd probably be a bit awkward since she's always wearing that sack of a Shinigami outfit) and Ichigo trying to get her into a pool. Of course...it deteriorated into mush at the end...but I promised something _not _cracky. Hopefully this fits the bill. **Please Review?**

**Please Read - Important Note: **I am going to be spending Christmas out of town with my dad. I'll be gone for ten days starting on the 22nd, so updates will be sparse. Because of that, I've been writing stories in advance. I'll still be updating regularly with any luck...around every three to four days.


	13. Wishlist

**Wishlist**

**Author's Notes: **Merry Christmas Eve, everyone! A cracky/fluffy sort of thing to hopefully bring a smile (or a blank and confused stare) to your week and to your holidays if you celebrate them. Thanks for sticking it out with me so far!

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Lights sparkled beautifully from a little tree, casting blinking, moving colors over a tranquil face. Smooth, coal-black hair sifted over indigo eyes. Why, one might ask, was Kuchiki Rukia, female shinigami, attempting to sleep in front of the Kurosaki family's Christmas tree?

The answer would be simple.

Ichigo snored like a nuclear bomb.

It was already past one in the morning. She didn't bother looking at the clock because she wasn't masochistic enough to see how many hours of sleep she'd lost. She also didn't bother looking at the cookies and milk Yuzu had set out for God knows who.

A burglar, maybe?

She curled her slender legs up against her chest and toyed with bits of fuzz stuck to the soft flannel pajamas she wore. Her hair slipped over her eyelids, and her eyelids drifted over her eyes, the pull of sleep too strong to resist. She dreamed of faces she'd seen before and faces she would never see again, and in a single moment, a sound jerked her to painful awareness.

"Who's there?" she demanded of the darkness.

"Ah...ho ho ho?"

A figure wearing the most ridiculous getup Rukia had ever laid eyes upon was leaning over the plate Yuzu had prepared, greedy fingers extended to the cookies.

She didn't waste time. A single kick to the intruder's crotch sent him down on both red-clad knees, and then it was only a matter of pulling his arm very brutally behind his back and sitting on top of him. "Why are you here? Do you plan to harm Ichigo? What is your business in this household?"

The figure groaned faintly.

"Answer!" She jerked the captive arm hard enough to hear a wet crunch.

"Mercy! Have mercy!" The voice was strangely familiar. "I'm...ah...Santa. I have come to eat my cookies."

"They're not yours! They're for the burglar." In her sleepless state, it had seemed almost understandable, but suddenly her words seemed preposterous. Her grip loosened and she stepped off of the intruder's back. "Who are you?" she said in a more reasonable tone.

"I am Santa Claus!" The figure pulled up a fuzzy, white—was that a beard?—and sighed. The white contraption had slipped low enough over the man's face to show black stubble. The figure caught her eyes and realized he'd been caught. "Ho ho ho?"

"What are Santa Claws?" she pressed relentlessly.

The man, who had lifted the cup of milk to his face, ungracefully spit it out in an explosive laugh. Milk misted the lights of the tree.

"What's so funny?" Her threatening stare promised another kick where it _really _hurt if her question wasn't answered.

"Ah...Santa Claus. He is—I mean I am—a magical man. I give toys to all the children in the world in one night!"

"Impossible," Rukia said. "Not even shunpo could—"

"Hey, don't question me! I know everything." The man took a liesurely sip of milk and dipped a soft cookie into it. "Do you doubt the Easter Bunny?"

Rukia didn't quite know what that was, but bunnies were always a good thing. She shook her head.

The man nodded. "See? He and I work together; we go out and drink when we're not on the job. Ask him when you see him. Anyway, you want me to prove who I am?"

Rukia crossed her arms. "Go ahead, burglar."

"Okay. Your name is Kuchiki Rukia, sister to Kuchiki Byakuya, born in Rukongai and now a shinigami. You're a helluva lot older than you look, you have an unhealthy and unexplainable interest in juiceboxes and rabbits, and you're unsuccessfully trying to teach Ichigo to keep his head off the chopping block. How am I doing?"

Rukia prepared to kick the guy in the balls again. "Who _are _you?"

"I'm magic!" The magic man very carefully shielded a certain part of himself. He rambled on in an attempt to grab Rukia's attention. "A—and you've been a good girl this year. You see, I reward good children. What would you like?"

Rukia lowered her ever-waiting foot, and relaxed. "I don't want toys, if that's what you mean. They don't last for any substantial period of time...so...how about something else?"

Santa gulped.

"Information," Rukia said. "If you know so much, then tell me some things."

"What kind of things?"

"Why is Ichigo such a stubborn idiot?"

The man seemed surprised at her question, but a smile settled somewhere under his beard. "Well, that's a good question. It's not in my policy to reveal information about people—because I know everything, it would be rather unfair to everyone—but I'll answer five questions for you. You know it's always three strikes, but because I'm awesome I'll give you five. How's that?"

"Okay. Are you going to answer my question?"

"It's because...he thinks he's gotta do everything by himself. He's got his whole family...this whole town...the whole _world_ on his shoulders. He doesn't want anyone to die, and he doesn't want anyone to lose. His sense of justice is bigger than his ego _and _his stomach. Does that answer your question?"

Rukia blinked. "Yes. Then...if he's all gung-ho about that, why does the dope end up getting himself almost _killed _all the time? I mean, he wants to stay alive to protect them, right?"

Santa laughed wryly. "I know it's silly...but he doesn't think like that. I'm afraid my boy...Ichigo I mean...he doesn't care too much about his life. Maybe it's just that he doesn't think about it. He's got more important things in mind."

Rukia was silent. "Yeah. I thought so. Then...does Ichigo really think I'm so weak? Why won't he let me fight? Doesn't he understand that I am a warrior...just like he is?"

"Those are your last three questions."

"Answer me, old man!"

"There's only one answer to all three. You're still sure you want me to answer?"

She raised her foot to kick him.

"Okay!"

She nodded and waited. The lights from the tree played over her face, one moment illuminating her features and then casting them in scarlet and navy shadows.

"It's because you...you, _especially_...he is not willing to let you die. It's because of what you are to him."

"What are you, a fortune teller? What the hell's a direct answer gonna cost me?"

"Ask him, one day, the questions you just asked me. I think that'll help. And that, my young girl, that was a freebie. No more for you. Here, have a cookie. It'll help. Then go to bed."

"Ah...Ichigo..."

"Snores, I know. Turn him on his side. Either that or say his name until he grunts and rolls over."

"Santa..."

"Get some sleep."

Rukia nodded. The next time she looked, Santa's hat and coat had been shed on the floor. When she woke up to the smells of Christmas and the sounds of happiness the next morning, she didn't notice the way Kurosaki Isshin favored his right arm and walked rather awkwardly. She didn't much care. Sitting slowly up in the closet, she watched Ichigo sleep. "Fool," she said, smiling. "You have to let people protect _you_ sometimes."

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**Author's Notes: **Yep, Santa is Isshin, just in case I didn't make it clear. Hehe, I know he's aware of a lot more than he makes known (some people may not know _how _unless they've read the manga) and so I thought this would be fun. I imagine that Rukia will forevermore believe in Santa Claus, though... Anyway, a cookie for your thoughts?


	14. Endless

**Endless**

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She sprawled out on the grass, arms outstretched, watching the clouds flow by, and he sat behind her, concentrating on the way light affected the deep violet-blue of her eyes. They shifted with her mood, from the deepest navy to a burning sapphire blue. Now they were blank, blinking slowly, a tranquil indigo.

He could have cared less about the clouds.

"Ichigo," she said softly, turning to face him. "Do you like it up here?"

He murmured a reply. He didn't actually know what he'd said but it seemed to relax her. "I do," she whispered. "I know I'm not _here_ often enough...but when I am, I like to come to this place. That's why I wanted to show it to you. Is that strange?"

Ichigo shrugged. "If you like it, I guess not."

She smiled softly and sat up. Hair fell haphazardly around her face, charcoal bangs dropping over her eyes. She shook them away, but they fell right back. She edged forward, swinging her legs over the place where the emerald grass faded and the ground dropped off. For hundreds of feet, the only thing below her was air.

It exhilarated her. He could see it in the glint of her eyes and in the way that usually wistful face relaxed into a smile. And because she loved it, he loved it.

She watched the sky. He watched _her._

He knew...she'd go, soon. She'd only returned for a little bit. He'd always thought of what he'd do if she came, and he'd thought that he knew. Reality was different. They'd stared and mumbled blankly and awkwardly in the doorway of the clinic before Rukia had impulsively grabbed his hand and dragged him here.

She leaned forward, slender arms supporting her head as she stared far below. She pointed to the hazy skyline of the city. "I can't tell where anything is. This house, that house...everything melds together, so it's not pieces of something. It's a city. So many fragments bond together to make a whole. You don't see any of that down below. You see the little things...the dirt, the pain, the graffiti, the peeling paint... But up here, none of that matters."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"That's the only way you can live, you know," she whispered, turning around for a single moment. She looked away. "When I was little I always found the highest tree I could—the highest _anything;_ it could have been a dam or a cliff or a tall building_—_And I looked. To live down there in the filth and to see all the things that happened...it's easy to get caught up in it all and to start hating everything. When you look at it all from above, though, it's easier. It's easier to know something is beyond it."

She didn't turn around. A clenched fist tore grass from its roots. Rukia extended a hand over the cliff and dropped it, letting the deep green blades be whipped by the wind. "To hold on is easy," she said wryly, "But to let go...of everything...is a lot harder. When they died...the friends I met in Rukongai...I climbed a lot."

Ichigo didn't dare to move. She was speaking as if she didn't know he was there, speaking more to herself, to her own heart, than to him. He felt like an intruder.

More grass met the winds. It floated—tossed and torn—back, and forth, and sharply down. Some of it was blown back onto the hill, but most fell.

She looked back at him. "Have you ever sat on the edge like this?"

He shook his head. "I'm not in the habit of sitting on cliffs and hand-mowing their grass."

She glared.

Ichigo sighed. She could turn from sweetness and light to the devil's own nightmare in a second. "Look," he said, pointing. Anything to distract her.

She followed his finger to a distant mass of color rising into the clouds. Seeing it, a smile lit her face. So easily amused...

She jumped to her feet, reaching curiously toward the object in the sky.

Ichigo had been smiling, but it was wiped abruptly from his face as he watched. A realization came to him too late.

_No._

The ground beneath her, bald from the grass she'd pulled, had become slippery. Her bare feet jerked precariously and she doubled over to regain her balance. It wasn't helping. Her smile was gone.

Ichigo did the only thing he could think of. He scrambled to his feet and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back from the edge. "Enthusiasm is dangerous on top of cliffs, ya idiot!" he yelled breathlessly as they fell back to solid ground.

She was half-on, half-off his lap, looking dazed. "Hmm?"

She wasn't listening to him.

Rukia returned her gaze to the colorful object ahead and watched as more lifted slowly into the sky. She didn't move away from him. She just laid there, eyes intent and eager, soft delight on her face. "It's very pretty. What are those?"

"They're called hot air balloons."

"Why do they fly? They're so huge!"

He couldn't bring himself to explain the process that allowed the balloons to rise. To explain it would bring reality crashing down again. He didn't want to do that to her; she'd seen enough reality.

When he'd thought about what would happen if she ever came, he'd only decided on one thing: reality wouldn't play a part. He sighed. "Magic, I guess."

She stared without blinking. "There are so many of them! Are there people inside of the balloons? How do they hold on?"

"No, Rukia. They're not in the freakin' balloon. They're in the basket." Ichigo pointed lazily.

"It looks like you could see the whole world from up there." Rukia said. She closed her eyes and was silent for a while.

They watched as the balloons rose into the sky. Ichigo looked down to where she sat, eyes half-closed, hair spread messily around her head. He turned back to the sky. "I'll take you up in one of those, some day," he said, softly. He wasn't sure if she heard, but she smiled gently and let her eyes close all the way.

The sun sank below the horizon and cast a blazing orange goodbye across the sky. Ichigo wished she could have seen it, but he didn't want to wake her.

"Just be sure you come back next time, Rukia. Even an hour or a second is fine...just don't get yourself killed over there. You better be here so I can show you and so you can show me. "

She murmured soft words in her sleep and curled closer to him as a gust of wind sent the grass blades dancing. He let his fingers touch her soft hair and he spoke a whispered goodbye into the wind. As soon as she awoke things would change, but for now...

"I'll see you soon," he said. It was more of a promise than a farewell. "There are a lot of things I want to show you."

_Until then...sleep tightly._

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**Author's Notes: **Yep...fluff has taken me over, mind, body and _soul_. ::shudders:: This one just sort of wrote itself...at least during the first half. I knew what I wanted to write (you know...sort of, kind of, _almost_) and after a few on-and-off sessions of typing frantically, backspacing, retyping, reworking and brainstorming, I finished it up. And we all lived happily ever after (we being me and my other personalities). I know it's probably unbearably fluffy, but...**Please Review?**

**P.S.** Oh. My. God. All the reviews last chapter! I have never ever _ever _gotten that many before for _anything_. It's just...I honestly can't say thank you enough to all the kind people who have taken the time to review. Everyone...you're amazing. I can't believe how lucky I am! You've made a humble young fanfic writer's day with your kindness.


	15. Subway

**Out of the Darkness**

_I have no right to know. I don't have a method of stepping into the depths of your heart without getting it dirty. When you want to talk...when you think it's okay to talk...talk to me. Until that time, I'll wait. _**- Kuchiki Rukia**

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**Spoiler Warning!** It's a slight spoiler about a figure from Rukia's past, a boy named Kaien.

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He could tell she was pretending to enjoy it.

She could tell he wasn't enjoying it at all.

It had been nice at first...novel to come down into a bustling world that buzzed underneath the earth, but it was all just like it was on the surface. People cried and slept and cut in line. They threw trash where it wasn't supposed to go. They screamed at family on payphones. The subway train clattered on the tracks, the scream of metal audible.

It was claustrophobic.

It was horrible.

It was a way both of them had felt before and never wanted to feel again. It was a tunnel that twisted and turned in complete darkness. There was no light to reach out to, no end to it all. Ichigo sat in the uncomfortable seat beside her, posture stiff, expression severe. Rukia leaned next to him, eyes drifting shut in the dim light. Besides a man sleeping behind a newspaper on the other side of the subway car, they were the only ones in here. The sound of the fluorescent lights above them was like a crackle in the electric air.

"Rukia," Ichigo said.

She opened a tired eye and rubbed the exhaustion away, sitting up. "Hmm?"

"I'm sorry."

She mustered a wry smile. "For _what?_"

"You're not having fun."

"Ditto. So? I'm the one who suggested it." Rukia stretched. "It's kind of like...endless, isn't it?"

Ichigo didn't reply. Not really, unless you counted his grunt as an answer. Silence dug a void between the two. "A train...a train passed when she died. Did you know that? I know...it's stupid. But I hate trains. Is that wrong, Rukia?" He rubbed a hand over his face and peered into the darkness ahead of them. "I can't see anything. I try. Your eyes are supposed to adjust, but they don't in here."

She nodded. "So you really didn't want to come on this train..." Suddenly there was a look of acid self-reproach on her face. "I'm sorry, Ichigo. If I'd been paying more attention, I would've—"

She started when she felt a sudden pressure on her arm. Ichigo had nudged her irritably.

"Stop talking, ya dope. I didn't keep you from going. You'd _know _if I really hadn't wanted to come. You know how you'd know? We'd be walking home. So shut up about that. I didn't mean to tell you about Mom. I just sorta said it."

"Why?" Rukia asked softly. "Why tell me?"

Ichigo looked at her, and his scowl melted ever so slowly. "Because only an idiot couldn't see it. You're just like me. You've been through the same things."

Another silence. The intensity of the lights in the car jolted with the movement, and for a moment the bulbs flickered to near-blackness.

In the blackness, Rukia whispered, "His name was Kaien." The lights flickered back to a painful brightness, just as if the darkness had never been there. Just like her words had never been there.

Ichigo heard them, though. He didn't bother apologizing for her loss or any of that crap. He'd heard enough of it when his mom had died. "What was he like?"

Rukia seemed surprised. "Oh. He...he was rash. He was crazy and silly, and he had a sense of justice you wouldn't believe. He was my vice-captain. He was like a boy sometimes, but he cared for everyone in our squad. He was a noble...from the Shiba house, you know? You wouldn't have guessed, though. He was just like the rest of us. I know it sounds stupid but it's true."

She went silent. Ichigo didn't push. He just sat, picking absently at a piece of gum stuck to the window. When she spoke, he listened.

"His wife was killed. Her name was Miyako. She was just like him...a kind person. She was taken over by a hollow and forced to kill her comrades. I was scared to death. I couldn't move. "

She looked out of the window. "He couldn't stand what had happened. He couldn't stand that she'd been used like that...violated. It hurt him to think of the things she'd been through. He couldn't stop any of it, either. So he fought the hollow. I couldn't help him. It took over him, too, and in the end...he died by my blade. I'd wanted to save him, but...I killed him."

She looked at Ichigo, her eyes dry but frantic, searching his for something...anything.

"So we've both stained our hands," Ichigo said at last, not daring to move his eyes from hers. "So that's why we'll both fight. So that won't happen. So no one will die again."

Rukia began to tear her gaze from his, trying to hide the things she'd just spoken. "Ichigo, that's impossible—"

Ichigo cut her off mercilessly. "Only if you let it be. And I want to protect Yuzu and Karin...I want to protect Keigo and Chad and _you _and everyone, and I'm not going to believe that I can't. You were talking about the tunnel...how it was endless. That's how you get past it all. You make a choice."

Rukia leaned back against her seat.

"So, Rukia. What's your choice?"

She stared straight forward as the car began to slow. Light from above-ground shone in from a steep staircase.

"I'll fight with you, Ichigo."

"We'll both fight," he said firmly. He smiled as their faces were illuminated by real light. "See? It's all over. We're about home now."

She nodded. They got out and stepped into the cool, crisp air outside. Rukia smiled to the sky, looking around the buildings that reached for the sky all around her. Home. It really did feel like home right now, when she was next to him.

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**Author's Notes: **Oh, I hope no one gets mad at me! This one isn't as fluffy as the others...I hope it's okay, though! _(crosses fingers) _Anyway, this was written because Rukia had to tell Ichigo about Kaien at some point, and this is just one insignificant writer's view of how it might happen. I also wrote this because every once in a while, my mind needs a release from fluff. Though fluff is definitely nice. Anyway, **Please Review!** If even to take only a few seconds to jot down your thoughts, I'd appreciate it immeasurably.


	16. Playback

**Playback**

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Ichigo bit his lip hard as he flipped through his saved messages. _Click, click click..._

That was the one. The first.

When he'd first saw the machine, packed hurriedly into a box under his bed, he hadn't been sure he would be able to do this, but now that he'd started, he couldn't bring himself to stop. He'd taken it with him, shoving it into his backpack. Lifting the cordless receiver to his ear, he pressed the button. Her voice strained to his ear, and he smiled.

"This is very...efficient, Ichigo! I think I like this message machine. I know you're still here at the house, so undoubtedly you're going to get mad at me for using this when it's not necessary, but it seems that the delete button works well, so don't yell at me, just use it. I'm just making sure it works. Anyway, will you actually be able to hear this? It looks like...a box. With buttons. Also, who is that lady talking? The one who says to leave a message? Ichigo..."

His soft smile remained as he moved to the next. That first message had been left before he'd moved out to go to college. He somehow felt happy when he heard that slight pang of defensive jealousy when Rukia asked about the automated message lady. It had taken him forever to explain it, and he remembered Rukia rapping the little metallic gray box and looking fruitlessly for the lady inside of it.

He wiped the memories from his mind and smiled as he played the second message.

_"I got it, Ichigo! It's very strange, kind of like the Hell Butterflies...but these answering machines of yours can't fly. And...butterflies don't have buttons. Anyway, I got your message! It's so strange, because it says you sent it an hour ago but I'm listening to it now. I put it in my closet, you know. This phone of yours. Your father offered me a bed now that he knows I'm staying here...but I like this better. It reminds me of the beginning. I hope you're having fun at this college of yours. I..."_ Had she wanted to say, "I miss you?" Ichigo shook the thought from his head._ "I...wish you weren't there. I wish you were...back at the house."_

It was funny how to the answering machine, it was just data, and how, to another person, it was just words. To him, each one held something special. And perhaps, not being able to see her face had let him say some important things, too.

He played the next message.

_"How long are you going to be gone at that _college _anyway? Yuzu and Karin are really worried about you!" _He saw those two as often as he could, but it was funny; Rukia never came. she just stayed with the message machine, and they both said things they would never say to each other's faces, stayed as if seeing him would make all those words real. _"Ichigo...when you get this, call me back, okay? I'd like to talk to you." _She had laughed softly at herself. _"You're probably busy. Forget that. I don't need to talk, anyway."_

After hearing that, he'd crossed his arms and had decided that he _wouldn't _call. He'd gone to bed, knowing he'd have to get to classes early in the morning, and one in the morning had rolled around with moonlight soft on eyes that hadn't rested.

He'd called her then, and she'd answered on the first ring. She'd spent the rest of the phonecall trying to pretend she'd been asleep, and he pretended he'd called her not because he needed to but because he wanted to.

Both of them saw through the other's lies and said nothing.

They'd talked until the sun's rays licked at a sky bathed in brilliant sunrise, talked about random things that to others were just words but to him were memories that couldn't be replaced or tarnished by time. He'd fallen asleep in class that day, but he couldn't dredge up any regret for it.

Ichigo flipped through to her fourth message, and he closed his eyes in anticipation.

_"I—I miss you, Ichigo. ...Damn! No...I mean...how do I erase this? Is there one of these stupid buttons...?" _Ichigo smiled softly. The longest silence traveled down the line, and then Rukia said, _"Well, looks like I'm screwed. Unless a hollow eats your message machine, which would actually please me right now...but...call me."_

He'd called her, and again, they'd talked. After an hour or so, she insisted on getting off, telling him he needed to get some sleep, but he breezed past that and they continued talking until they both said a rather hesitant goodbye at three in the morning.

It was funny to him that they could say these things over the phone. He knew if he saw her, he'd be avoiding and she'd be avoiding and he'd end up being hit somewhere, but when they talked over the phone, it was distant. It was less real, and somehow easier.

He'd held the phone long after she'd hung up, and before he'd set it down and fallen asleep on his desk, he whispered words that no one but he could hear. "I love you, Rukia."

He wouldn't know until many calls later that she said the same thing.

Spring had swept over the city, bringing life to the trees, and their conversations only got longer. Ichigo's friends got on him about being so nutty over a single girl, but he'd never been one to place a large amount of merit in the opinions of his aquaintances. If he had been, his hair would long have been dyed black.

When the sakura trees blossomed, they decided to meet.

It was a huge step, because seeing her face would make all these detached words real. He'd have a face to put them to and he just knew he'd screw up majorly. They decided to meet in the park, and despite the furious protests in his mind, he walked there and waited on the bench for her.

As he remembered, he played that message.

_"Ichigo! I'm getting all ready... I think I'm ready. I won't be late, I promise. The...ah...the park, right? I think that was it. I think...I think I'm ready to see you. __Ichigo...I—" _She'd wanted to say something. _"Oh well, there are a lot of things...a lot of things that I really want to tell you! But I'm not gonna waste the time on your machine. I'll talk to you when I get there, okay?"_

Ichigo closed his eyes and when he opened them, they sheened with tears.

He hated this.

He'd waited.

He'd waited, and waited, and waited.

_I won't be late..._

She'd chickened out. She'd thought about everything and had decided not to come.

That's the way he'd rationalized it to himself. But he didn't believe it. If he did, then that would mean he didn't know her at all. And he did know her.

Ichigo set the phone down and closed his eyes once more. That had been the last message he'd received from her.

When he'd seen her face again, he felt all those things, all those feelings, just as strongly as he'd thought he would. If only she'd been able to hear him as he held her and whispered the words of comfort. If only she knew he meant every word he'd said to her on the phone.

He'd finally decided to walk home when he'd waited in the park for four hours, but he'd been stopped by a large crowd, stopped by a siren and murmured voices of somber onlookers. He'd known, before he'd seen her face. He'd pushed through the crowd to the place where she lay, sprawled across the street, the light-colored clothes she wore tainted with a spreading stain of red. The blood spread out beneath her, mixing with dust and gravel.

He would have been stupid to move her. All those movies where the protagonist swept the girl up in his arms...so stupid. To move an injured person was to invite damage. The spine...the neck...a single movement could mean paralysis or death. So he gently traced the lines of her pale face and held her hand tightly, whispering. "You'll be okay. Hold on, Rukia. Hold on." His tears stained the dress he pressed his face against, comforting himself with the sound of a weak heartbeat, and for the first time in his life, he hated that the sky was sunny. For all that had happened, the sky should have been brimming blackly with rain. It was a sin for the sun to shine right now.

Ichigo unplugged the message machine and looked down to the bed where she lay.

A coma.

Head trauma.

He knew all the words. His dad was a doctor, after all. There was a chance she would wake up, and there was a chance that she wouldn't, the doctors said.

He knew that she would. She had to.

She looked so frail in the bed, black hair longer now and messy over her eyes. Long black lashes swept over them, and cool pink lips moved slightly with the exhalations that gave him hope.

"Hey, Rukia...you know your message?" Ichigo squeezed her hand. "Well, _I'm _ready to see _you_. I love you, Rukia. And if you can't hear that, then I'll say it as many times as you need me to when you wake up. I don't know what it was you wanted to say that day, but I don't care. We can get through anything, no matter how long it takes. Open your eyes for me, Rukia."

He could have sworn that her hand tightened around his, but she made no other movements.

Maybe she was not going to wake up today, or tomorrow, or the day after that.

But one day. One day she would.

He would wait as long as it took, wait even if it meant waiting weeks and months and years. That's what he'd realized as he'd sat by her bedside for endless days.

He gently let the back of his fingers trace over her face.

"Don't you worry, Rukia. There's no one else. I'll be here for you when you open your eyes."

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**Author's Notes: **I tried...I really tried, guys. **I'm so sorry!** It's lightly fluffy and chocked full of romance, but it's not fluffy like I promised. (bows and begs for forgiveness) LOL, I'm afraid my brain wasn't listening to me. I promise that however long it takes, the next story will be packed with squee-inducing IchiRuki fluff to make up for all the more serious stuff. Anyway, I had a lot of fun writing this one, and I can only hope you enjoyed reading it. I'd sincerely love reviews! **Please leave your thoughts!**


	17. Sunlit

**Sunlit**

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"I stepped on something sticky, Ichigo."

Her eyes were closed, soft lips pursed with distaste. She walked forward, small hands twitching impatiently in his.

"Just shut it, y' baby. We're almost there."

"Can I _open my eyes _yet?" she ground out between her teeth.

"Didn't I tell you to zip it? Be patient. You'll like it. I promise."

She paused a bit this time, weighing his words before apparently finding that she liked them. A soft smile graced her features. Then she said, "My feet are wet."

Ichigo growled. "So?"

"So _why_ are they wet?"

He didn't even bother answering this time. He held her hands high up above her head and nudged her along with his knees as he walked. "Keep moving. Almost there."

Rukia grumbled something about imminent death and wet feet, but her hands stayed within his. After several more moments of leading, he stopped. "Just a few more seconds," he said when she tried to open her eyes. He let go of her and sat down, making sure she did the same. "Open them."

Rukia opened her eyes, and Ichigo looked at her expression, drinking it in with as much enthusiasm as she drank in the sight before her. Her small fingers clenched the sand beneath her, knees pulled up under her chin. "It's very beautiful," she finally replied, her voice barely audible above the crashing water in front of her.

He smiled. At least for the moment, she'd forgotten her solemn vow to murder him.

The sun was still hidden, but its light kissed the sky ever so warmly, setting the water aflame with a breathtaking hue of indigo and rose. Rukia cupped a handful of sand and let it slowly drain from her fingers until only the cool, damp sand was left. She rubbed it gently across her palm, then allowed it to return to the ground. Suddenly a smile lit up her features, and she vaulted to her feet wordlessly, running toward the water. Ichigo had a sharp recollection of running toward water—a scene so long ago—and he felt the urge to run after her...to stop her, just as his mother had done for him.

He bit it back and watched her. As long as he was here, he would allow nothing bad to happen to her. When he did get up, he followed her for another reason. She had walked to where the sea licked the shore, seating herself just beyond its farthest reach and slowly inching forward.

As the freezing water lapped at her toes invitingly, she screamed and laughed, looking back to see Ichigo behind her. He glanced down into her eyes and he was glad, because lately, whenever he looked at her, he saw a sadness that belied her years.

It was nice to see the early morning breeze swipe that away. He hoped the wind would take it far from her. Bracing himself for the biting temperature of the foamy rush of water, he sat down next to her. She shivered each time a wave touched the shore and washed against her bare skin, but her smile didn't waver.

As she sat there, inching closer with each second, her smile widened and twisted with what could only be decribed as evil plotting in progress.

When she did it, Ichigo wasn't prepared.

It didn't help that he opened his mouth to inquire her intentions just as she attacked.

Both hands reached down, cupped a handful of water and sand, and then threw it on him. With a cry of impish delight, she vaulted foward, running and slipping, small feet digging into the wet sand as she raced toward the safety of the water. Ichigo slapped sand off of his face and spit a good amount onto the ground, and he chased.

He didn't bother to mention that he hadn't brought towels.

She made the mistake of looking back to see if he'd followed, and he caught up quickly, diving under to clear his face and hair of any excess sand, and rising behind her with fists full of wet sand and shells. In a fleeting moment, he tossed them onto her, and then said, "Oops!" and grinned, washing some of the sand off with a _very_ large amount of cold water to her back.

She squealed. Ichigo thought it sounded hilarious. He learned something new about her every day, but he'd never thought she could squeal.

Oh, this was rich.

She turned around with false anger and very real shivers wracking her body, and kicked water in his face as retribution.

It went on like that, running and attacking, evading and strategizing, mixed with the sound of laughter, half-hearted threats and cries of surprise. Ichigo's hair, usually spiked up around his head, fell rather messily over his eyes, so wet it looked burnt orange. Rukia's black locks lost the slight upturn at the end and embraced her neck. The sunlight yellow dress she wore had been plastered to her form mercilessly.

They looked rather pathetic, really.

Neither cared.

As the sun rose over the water, making the already brilliant colors even more astonishingly beautiful, he dove under and came up beside her, grinning mischievously as his hands grabbed her at the waist and lifted her above the water, up above his head so that her bright eyes looked down into his.

"Wha—Ichigo—?"

"Be ready," he said with a smile. He held her up there as the light caressed her face, and in a split second he let go, allowing her to fall into the deep water in front of him. She landed with a splash and rose twice as fast, swimming toward him and splashing water into his face with the palms of her small hands as she laughed.

It was nice to have her up in the air like that, but the best part wasn't holding on tightly.

The best part was letting her go, watching her leave, and knowing she would come back.

It would have been nice if he'd remembered to bring some food or some cocoa, or some towels to dry themselves off with. It might have helped to have a radio, some books, suntan lotion or hats.

By anyone's standards, they were cold and wet without a way of getting dry quickly, and should have been miserable.

_Screw it_, Ichigo thought, letting his eyes drift closed as the sunlit waters sheened magnificently.

This moment could not be more perfect.

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**Author's Notes: **Do you smell that? I dooo... You wanna know what it is? It's yummy cotton-candy IchiRuki fluff! (grins) At least I think it is. Maybe it's my socks. Anyway, finally something not too depressing! (is happy) Hmm...as for getting back to the fluff...how did I do? Was it fluffy enough? I had a little bit of trouble, because though Ichigo and Rukia are a wonderful pairing, they're sometimes so antagonistic of each other that it's hard to put them in fluffy situations. I think it's a bit like them to show their feelings by affectionately torturing each other. I'll work on upping the fluff level. Hmm...thanks for reading! **Please review?**


	18. Arcade

**Arcade: Watch My Back**

**Notes: **This is...slightly random.

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"Dude," Ichigo spoke warningly as a dark-haired teen stepped toward toward the small, black-haired Shinigami. He leaned casually against the wall next to the door, eyes wandering lazily from the boy to the small girl in front of him. "I'm warnin' ya. Don't mess with her."

The teen smiled twistedly. "Whatever you say, weirdo." He stuck his tongue out and moved forward, slick black hair sliding over his eyes as he reached his hands out. They touched her sides, making Ichigo's teeth grind together. In a single second, the boy's fingers slid down, down, down...to her waist, and—

That was it. This guy had gone too far. _Forget_ the fact that Rukia promised violent death if he interrupted her. Violent death was something he could face. _This.._.this wasn't.

But alas, too late.

Rukia did not turn around. She did not drop the object held in her hand. She didn't even give the boy the satisfaction of her attentions. Absently, she whipped an elbow into the teen's abdomen, sending him stumbling back. She turned around quickly, still paying him no heed, and a kick where the first punch had hit sent the teen to his knees in fear. Before he fell, she was facing away from him again. "Please," she said, school-girl sweetness almost traumatizing. "Don't play around with me like that. It does nothing for my temper."

Ichigo etched a third mark into his palm as her latest victim scrambled away, horrified.

Standing in front of the arcade game, a look of bloodlust etched into her features, her only regret was, "Man! Spinning like that twisted my weapons." She looked at him. "The projectile weaponry you use here is very effective. Cowardly and impersonal, but very effective nonetheless. I like it."

Ichigo hadn't really expected this much enthusiasm. He'd brought her here more out of curiosity than anything else, and had readied himself to go after a few minutes of wandering. The knobs, toggle switches, and other assorted buttons and beeps had grabbed her curiosity, though. So here they were, well over an hour, three victims and two slushies later, with no end in the forseeable future.

Rukia had surpassed the high score half an hour ago, as many of the passing males had observed.

They had also unfailingly observed her new clothes. After one too many of Yuzu's dresses had gone missing, Ichigo had decided that it had gone too far, and they had gone shopping. He'd suggested a pair of jeans for convenience at the arcade, and she'd taken his advice, strangely enough. They flared at her feet over old tennis shoes she _never_ tied, and the shirt she wore was a simple white. An olive-colored cap gently embraced charcoal hair. The clothes were altogether extremely normal, but there was something eyecatching about them when she was in them.

Because of that, Ichigo was playing bodyguard, though Rukia usually got them before he had the chance. Of course, if it suited her, she seduced a bit of money out of them, but just enough to continue playing.

Another kid gave her a smirk, and Rukia grabbed Ichigo by the shirt, dragging him close. She indicated the gun in her left hand, the look in her eyes both annoyed and desperate. "You any good with one of these?"

He shrugged. "Good enough. My aim's not that bad."

"Excellent." She tossed her hair back and absently took a sip of slushie. "I'm tired of all this. Pretend to be my boyfriend."

Ichigo choked, though he hadn't known it was possible to choke with nothing in his mouth. "Wha—huh?"

"My boyfriend. That's the word you use here, right? If I have one, maybe they'll think twice about being shameless, perverted bastards, right?"

Ichigo thought anyone who had witnessed her previous displays would stay many feet from her for the rest of their lives, but this boyfriend business didn't sound at all bad. "Okay, shinigami," he murmured, smiling. "Give me the gun."

She smirked in his direction and released one to him. "I was getting tired of playing two characters anyway. Watch my back."

_He always did. He always would. _"Watch your own," he said.

It wasn't talent or time, but money they ran out of, and though a couple boys had been daring enough to grab at her on their way past, there was no longer a constant supply of money, so they quit. Invited to enter her initials, Rukia shrugged. "Let's head out, Ichigo."

He shrugged, and daringly entered three letters, confirming them quickly and stepping back. Rukia noticed.

"What are those for?"

He shrugged. "Chose 'em randomly. Sorry."

"Whatever."

He glanced at the top of the screen as she hauled him out.

_I x R._

Yeah, she'd kill him if she ever found out. He grinned. "Let's do that again sometime."

"The game?" Rukia asked.

"Nah, not that. The boyfriend thing."

She shot him a glare that was half smile. "Fool."

Maybe it was stupidity, or maybe he just wanted to poke at her, but he said, "Maybe not pretend next time?"

That earned him a kick in the ribs, but she met his eyes the whole time, unlike any of her previous victims. "Presumptuous!" she huffed. "Come on. Get me another slushie!" A grin lit her face.

He smiled as he ran to catch up with her.

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**Author's Notes: **Just a bit random, yep! Nothing, really...just something that wouldn't leave me alone. I wrote it because I could _just_ imagine Rukia dragging Ichigo over and forcing him to pretend to be her boyfriend. Also, the IxR was for IchigoxRukia, in case I didn't make it clear. This was a bit different for me, more of Ichigo and Rukia in their upbeat and daring moods than the usual, and a little bit of Ichigo's (well-intentioned and well-hidden but unneeded) chivalry. **Please Review? **Also, I am pathetic, but if anyone's into IshiHime, I just updated my multi-chapter fic and am scared to _death _that it sucks... Ohh... (_whacks head against wall_) Ignore me. Anyway, I hope this silly little oneshot was okay.


	19. Rain Dance

**Rain Dance**

**Author's Notes: **Wow. It's...fluffy, romancy, angsty, cutesy, philosophical _sappy_ stuff. I'm honestly beginning to wonder when my sanity abandoned me. Well...more IchiRuki-ness for those as hopelessly obsessed as I am! And oh! Don't worry—or...do worry?—there's enough sappy fluffiness contained herein to kill a horse. Not...not that I expect _horses_ to read this... (_blank stare_) Ah, I'll shut up now.

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He'd always thought it horribly melodramatic when someone said that a thing _defied explanation_, but as he watched her, he was forced to reconsider.

Adjectives flickered in and out of his mind, but nothing was as beautiful as she was in that moment.

"Rukia..." his whisper was soft. The only hint he'd spoken at all was the breath that clouded on the window in reaction to his soft utterance.

She stood in the rain, eyes closed, almost completely still against the motion of falling water around her. It was as if she didn't care that the world might be watching. She raised her hands up and let the rain wash through her fingers as if purifying the taint of sin on her soul. The simple blue dress she wore gripped her figure, seeking solace from the falling water, tightening around the curves of her body.

Her hair seemed an even deeper black, becoming the most pure form of darkness as the rain soaked through it, straightening the curled ends until they clung to her neck, turning up gently right before touching her shoulders.

Ichigo did fairly well in school, but words truly failed him when he tried to describe her. Spectacular was too mundane, breathtaking far too dull to encompass the beauty of her smile and her depthless sorrow as it melted away under the beating water. She turned with care, bare feet tapping a slow, slow dance on the rain-splashed sidewalk.

All he could think was that she was going to freeze to death out there. All he could think was that only bad things happened in the rain.

And all he could think was that she was too beautiful to interrupt.

His presence would mar the perfection she created. He hated himself for just sitting and watching, and yet he could do nothing else. His pencil tapped restlessly on homework that should have been done hours ago. His eyes wandered down to it absently, raking over words he didn't actually read.

An angel.

That's what she looked like. A dark-haired broken angel dancing slowly in the cold, cold rain.

She finally opened her closed eyes, vividly violet-blue against the oppressing gray of the sky, and her smile flickered in the direction of his window, there and gone so quickly he wasn't sure if he'd seen it or if he'd only imagined.

Homework could wait.

Ichigo wandered through the house, growling at his own weakness. He picked up a few things on his way out, stepping into the rain with a hat flopped over his eyes and a raincoat to block him from the droplets that fell like so many tears. He wouldn't be out here for any longer than he had to. Too many memories fell from the sky on days like this, things that even his raincoat couldn't keep from sinking into him. He slipped out into the back yard, stepping silently.

Her eyes were closed again, and trying not to gain her attention, he slipped Yuzu's raincoat onto the edge of the picket fence and began to step back slowly. He couldn't bring himself to go in like he'd promised himself, so he watched. His breaths were slow and silent, every bit of attention riveted on her. _Go inside. Go inside. There's nothing for you out here in this pouring rain._

_Right?_

She didn't open her eyes, but there was the slightest pause in her step, and she said, "I didn't think you'd come out." Her voice was somber.

He flinched, withdrawing further into the coat. "I brought a raincoat and some boots for you. It's cold out here."

The raincoat was colored bright yellow, the same color of the one he had been wearing on that day. Rukia slowly came to a stop and looked at it, touching the slick fabric. "Strange," she said. "Thank you. I don't need it right now, though."

He was about to step back inside when her voice stopped him. "Come on out here."

Stopped completely in his tracks, torn between escaping the rain and going to her, he waited. At last, he turned around. Slowly, Ichigo wandered along the rain-soaked pathway to the little gate, and slid it open with care. Rukia looked him up and down.

"Why are you all dressed up? It's not too horrible out here, actually."

"I don't like rain," he mumbled, pulling ineffectually at a few strands of orange hair. Sometimes he wished he'd grown it longer so he could hide his eyes from her.

"Have you ever thought about it? Rain, I mean? What it does?"

Ichigo sighed bitterly. "I have. It's cold, it's wet, and it hurts. It's the sky having some sick joke at our expense."

Rukia nodded. "Yeah. It can be bad, can't it?" It was funny, but her face said she knew how he felt, so he nodded. "But then...think about it. It's cleansing. The rain can steal things away—" at those words Ichigo shuddered and looked at the ground. "But it can also give things to us...give things _back_ to us. It's saying that you may be crying, but it's promising you that you'll still have tears to cry when it's all over. It's saying it won't let you stop feeling, that it will keep you alive inside as it cleanses away your pain. Sometimes...I need to remind myself, so I come out here." Her clear eyes met briefly with his, then wandered back to the sky.

"What if you don't want to feel anything?" Ichigo said softly.

Rukia looked at him. "If you don't feel anything, then even bright sunlight will not satisfy you. The most beautiful days are wasted when your heart is dead to them. You have to live even when it hurts."

Ichigo looked down at the ground.

"The choice is yours." She looked at him, biting her lip tenderly as if in indecision. "You're shivering." Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Are you cold?"

He couldn't answer.

"Sorry to keep you out in this...but if you don't brave the rain, you won't see the sun. I've had a long time to learn that."

He shook his head. It was the farthest thing from cold with her next to him like this. She stepped away from him awkwardly, flashing a quick, apologetic smile, and lifted her face to the rain, eyelids flickering with each drop. He just looked down at her.

The rain affected her, no matter how she tried to pretend it didn't. He slipped his coat off, and, stepping close to her, draped it around her shoulders, drawing her close to him, holding her there and closing his eyes as the rain dripped down his face.

He'd been in the rain so long, in the horrible, dark, half-life of a world, that he'd become a ghost of his former self. Then...she'd shown up, shaking his universe to its core, tipping everything he thought he'd known into a flurry of unfamiliarity. Slowly, the clouds had retreated, bowing away as her smile lit his heart. He'd felt something, a determination to give everything and anything to keep her there with him.

Rukia returned the embrace ever so slowly. "Why aren't you wearing your coat?" she said, shrugging into it more deeply.

Ichigo looked down at her wordlessly and smiled in the rain.

He'd never tell her because he'd never live it down, but...no matter how hard the acid rain fell, if she was next to him, nothing mattered but her presence. "'Cause you were idiot enough to forget yours," he murmured.

Maybe she read between the lines or maybe she didn't care, but her grip tightened around him as they stepped slowly, slowly through the falling rain.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Umm... (_hides_) I really hope this doesn't suck, but I fear the worst. Though I just couldn't help using the usual theme of rain with Ichigo and Rukia, I _hope_ I was able to make it just a little bit different than other stories with this theme. Also, I sorta switched things around and had Rukia show Ichigo something different this time. I just thought it'd be cute to have them together like that, but getting those two to hug is like getting **serial** killers **to** play **nice**. I've seen both of them in more serious and introspective moods in the manga, so I hope I was able to capture those without making them OOC. (_gulps_) **Many pennies for your thoughts?**


	20. Embrace

**Embrace**

**Note: **Painfully fluffy.

* * *

"Ya sure you're up to this, Rukia?" Ichigo sat under the shaded tent, perched on top of the table even though there was a free seat in plain sight.

Or...not. That was where Ichigo put his _feet. _

"Fool," she said, shaking back a lock of black hair. "Sit down."

Ichigo glared and bit absently at the corner of his cheek, making a twisted smile at her.

Just his luck to be begged into face-painting for the children at a little celebration for Yuzu's class. He wouldn't have done it if Yuzu hadn't looked at him with those wide eyes. He glanced irritably at Rukia. "You didn't answer me."

She nodded. "Your point?"

It wasn't in his nature to let go of things easily, but a little kid wandered under the flap of the tent, and in interests of not making the girl run away in fear, he erased his scowl a little bit. Yuzu appeared behind the girl, grinning ear to ear. "Yeah, my brother's doing it! You should try! It'll be fun, I know it."

The girl looked up from under a curtain of dark hair, seeking reassurance. Ichigo stared blankly. He wasn't much for giving reassurance, either. Rukia picked up his slack and smiled gently at the little girl. Ichigo decided in that moment that he would have to make her smile gently more often. But...he snapped back to attention when she spoke. "Here, come on. You want me to do it for you?"

The girl looked at Ichigo, and then nodded firmly. "Okay! He looks like a meanie!" She ran over and jumped into the chair beside Rukia.

"Yeah," Rukia said, nodding exaggeratedly. "He's horrible. Absolutely _evil. _Don't look at him or he'll eat you." Then she grinned. "Okay. What do you want?"

The girl looked deep in thought, as if making a life and death decision. "Umm...a flower?"

"What about a bunny?" Rukia asked hopefully. "Bunnies are the best!"

The girl shook her head. "No. I think I want a flower."

"But how about a bunny with a flower?"

The girl thought for a moment. "A _big _flower, though. A really big one."

Rukia pouted. "If you're sure."

When she was done, Ichigo couldn't help noting that the flower wasn't quite as big as the little girl had hoped. However, a flock of little brats wandered in, and Ichigo slipped into his seat with a sigh, soon very occupied and hoping that Yuzu's pleading eyes were a little easier to say no to. But unfortunately, he couldn't say no to her. Not to his little sister. He painted stars and fireworks, flowers and the occasional alligator. At first, he was worried about Rukia, but from the first time, she easily consented to whatever the people asked.

A little boy sat in front of her. "I wanna sword! Gimme a sword!"

Rukia nodded, and Ichigo glanced over when she was finished...just in time to notice that the boy's sword was shaped remarkably like Chappy.

"You're not a girl, right? I don't think you want to look in the mirror," Rukia said. The boy nodded and ran off.

Ichigo shook his head and got busy with another group of customers. How many little kids were there, anyway? He heard familiar high-pitched giggling and a different voice giving half-hearted disagreement, and as he watched, Inoue walked in with Ishida in front of her. Her hands were at his back and she was literally _pushing _him through. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Ah...Inoue-san. This is not my kind of thing. Look...there are only kids here."

"But it's fun, silly! Come on." Ichigo grinned when Orihime cast huge, pleading eyes on Ishida. She reminded him a lot of Yuzu sometimes. Ishida melted and stuttered a few more objections and softly moaned, but he resignedly walked forward, desperately pushing up his glasses and apparently trying to think of a way to maintain his pride. He finally looked up and saw Ichigo and Rukia. "Oh! Kurosaki! Kuchiki-san. What are you doing...?"

"Face-painting!" Rukia's well-worn schoolgirl attitude was in place, even though they all knew she didn't need it around them. "You want something?"

He seemed ready to say, "No!" and bolt, but Orihime grabbed his wrist and marched forward.

"Yup! I accidentally ran into him on the way home..."

"Literally," supplied Ishida.

"Yeah..." Orihime grinned. "So I ran into him and then when I was getting up I saw really colorful stuff and heard people talking, and I decided he looked too serious so we came over here. I didn't expect to see you here, Kurosaki-kun!" She grinned nervously. "Make him something pretty, Kuchiki-san!"

"Ohh no! Nothing pretty!" Ishida said.

"A bunny?" Rukia said thoughtfully.

Ishida looked like he'd faint. "No bunnies! No...umm...how about the Quincy symbol?"

Ichigo supressed a snicker as Rukia agreed too easily. It was the same lighthearted agreement that had sent hordes of other kids off with bunnies painted on their faces. After Rukia pressed a line of white paint to Ishida's face, making him shudder, Ichigo was finding it harder and harder not to burst out laughing. Ishida seemed resigned to die at having anything painted on his face. Ichigo wondered what he would do when he looked into the mirror and saw a huge, elaborate white Chappy rabbit painted on his cheek.

"Kuchiki-san, forgive me...but the design is relatively simple. It shouldn't take too long...are you done?"

"Not yet. Sit back," Rukia ordered.

Ishida fell back into the seat and let out a whimper. "What did I get myself into...?"

Orihime grinned and leaned forward. "Ohh, very cute, Kuchiki-san! Though...it doesn't look much like..." A hand shot out and clasped over Orihime's mouth.

Surprisingly, it was Ichigo's.

"Shh," he grinned evilly. "It looks fine."

Rukia turned to him for a moment, but his grin infected her quickly, and she went to work with new enthusiasm.

"What's going on?" Ishida asked, worry evident in his voice.

"Oh, nothing," Ichigo said. _Just a taste of your own medicine... Remember how you frilled up Kon?_

Rukia's fingers finally rested. Ichigo bit his lip _hard _not to die laughing on the spot. The bunny was huge and white and frighteningly fluffy, starkly contrasting Ishida's angular face. It gave one the impression that if given time, it would completely devour him. Its eyes were big and round, with a gaze that begged for hugs. To top it all off, Rukia had added frills on top, which were adorned with one giant bow.

She sucked as an artist, but he had to give her props. This thing would humiliate Ishida and give him chronic nightmares until he died.

The day wore on, and Ichigo did more face painting than he'd ever like to do again. At last, the final customer yawned and wandered off with mommy, and Ichigo sighed, turning off the main light so they were bathed in only a dim illumination. He stretched aching fingers and unclasped his fists, looking over at Rukia. Another soft smile. He relaxed in his seat, aware that her gaze hadn't left him. "Want me to paint something for you?" she asked.

He tried a grimace. "No way in hell."

"Aww, come on! Please?"

He was tempted to make fun of her skills as an artist, but that would mean a slap and one of those freakin' _scary _glares. He sighed. "Should I even bother saying what I'd like for you to do?"

She thought for a moment. "It'd be useless, but if it would make you feel better."

"Never mind. Knock yourself out."

After all, she had agreed to help him out with this whole face painting thing. This was the least he could do. He sat down in the chair in the dim light, bracing himself. She sat behind him, making him lean farther and farther back so she could get to his face. Once she was satisfied, she began. The trace of her fingers and the brush was light on his face, sending a shiver through him. He slowly relaxed. _Yeah, do your worst, midget. I'll just be resting..._

"Done," she finally whispered. He'd almost fallen asleep, but her voice teased him into wakefulness. A finger traced over his face, and she poked him forcefully right under his eye. "Wake up..."

He pretended to wake and looked up, hesitantly reaching for the mirror, but decided not to. He shrugged. "Let's go."

He finally got up to check it in the mirror when she had fallen soundly asleep in the closet. He turned his face to the side and looked, and a smile crept over his face. Okay, so it was a bunny. He wasn't sure whether to blush, be pissed, or...something else when he saw what it was holding.

Embraced in its little paws was a heart.

Ichigo touched his finger to it and shook his head. In the morning, Rukia shrugged and said Chappy looked cuter with a little heart, and attributed the whole silly event to exhaustion.

Ichigo liked his bunny, though.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **(_grins_) Well...this was the product of me and my sister sitting on the counter in my older sister's kitchen and yapping about IchiRuki. I am lucky enough to have a close sibling who likes the things I do, so we sort of talked through some stuff. And yes...I love to torture Ishida. (As evidenced by the way I torture the poor guy in my IshiHime multichapter fic.) And Rukia loves Chappy. And Ichigo loves... _who?_ Okay, I'll shut up now. I blame Rukia's fluffiness on bunnies! The bunnies made her do it. **Please Review?**


	21. The Date

**The Date**

**Notes:** Yes! The long-awaited (or..._not_—oh how I fool myself) continuation to Escalator! I thought it would be fun to carry out the forced "date" that was mentioned in that chapter. And a date is an appropriate thing to do on Valentine's Day, right? Even though it's not going to be Valentine's Day in the story... Anyway, time for awkwardness, fluff, crazy petitions, Isshin, and...suits.

* * *

"Never! Get outta here, old man!"

"But you gotta wear a suit if you want to impress the girls, Ichigo! It's what a _man _does!"

"Wear suits or impress girls?" Besides, right now, Ichigo didn't want to be a man. In fact, he wished he was four again so he could crawl under the table until his mom saw his red tennies and bent down to—

He stopped. "Just screw it. She won't _like _suits! And you're totally _old, _anyway."

For some reason, this got a hearty chuckle out of Isshin. "More than you know, my boy. But anyway, try it on! For me?"

Ichigo wasn't budging.

"For her? Just to see! See if you like it."

Ichigo's exterior cracked a little bit. "Nuh-uh," he said, half-heartedly. Then, "Just...for a second." Then, "Okay. Gimme the suit!"

Isshin grinned widely and handed Ichigo a long suit. "It's your size! It'll be pretty snugly fitting, I think." Isshin winked and rocked back and forth on his feet. "Go ahead my boy! Try it on!"

"Ya gonna watch me change? Get outta here!"

Isshin sighed as if facing the most horribly traumatic moment of his life, and wandered just outside of the door, poking his bristled black head in every few moments to ask if Ichigo had finished yet. At last, Isshin walked in, and spontaneously burst into tears. "Ichigo, my child, you look all grown up! It makes your father so sad!" Isshin busied himself with making sure all the buttons were fastened, and then finally stood back. "Ah, very nice."

"Okay, whatever. Go away now. I'm gonna change out of it."

Isshin grabbed Ichigo's wrist. "Oh! Whoops, look at the time! Did I tell you that that wonderful girl was going to meet up with us at three instead of three thirty? There's no time. It's tragic, but you'll have to go in that."

Ichigo hissed a plethora of extremely colorful words of varying vulgarity, and Isshin grinned and whistled as his son clawed the doorway. For once, perhaps because Ichigo knew it wasn't beyond his dad to leave poor Rukia waiting, Ichigo's usual resistance was slightly less brutal. At last, he managed to shove Ichigo into the car. After he got in beside him, he swung out something very dark and Ichigo was sure his dad was going to strangle him. But Isshin smoothly tightened a tie around his neck instead. It was a deep scarlet that somehow made Ichigo's amber eyes sharper, more piercing.

Isshin wiped at his eyes. "I'm so proud! Your mother would be so proud, Ichigo!"

Ichigo grumbled and crossed his arms. This suit was stifling. He felt old. Besides, you wore suits to dates...and this _so _wasn't a date. It was just a forced dinner.

Okay. So...why was he nervous?

His heart beat madly in his chest, he couldn't seem to keep his fingers from pulling at the suit's buttons, and his mouth was dry enough that he could stick a wad of paper in there and take it out and write on it. Nervous? _Hell_ yes.

He swore silently at himself as an image of Rukia came into his mind unbidden. It was her walking out of the mall changing room, the look on her face questioning. The cornflower blue dress made her sapphire eyes bottomless, her skin soft like fine porcelain above the dipping front of the dress. The loose fabric moved like waves of water around her slender frame, folding in just the right places, and...

Ichigo swallowed _hard. _"Stop it," he whispered to himself.

_Stop thinking about her. You're stupid, Ichigo. Do you know how stupid you are? You're stupid enough to think of this as any more than some event that she'd probably rather not come to._

Feeling slightly calmer after his mental beating, he took a deep breath. Now he'd just take some time to work on getting his expression into the usual scowl, and he'd approach her the same way she always approached him, with a straight and controlled demeanor. Just a few minutes to smooth everything out...

"Ichigooo! We're here! Get out; don't keep Rukia-chan waiting!"

Take some time?

That idea washed down the drain as his father vaulted enthusiastically from the car, grabbing Ichigo's arm and literally pulling him from his seat. With an agile kick, he shut the door and continued to drag a heavily resisting Ichigo across the parking lot, up three stairs and through the entrance of the restaurant, where he firmly closed the door and released his son. He seated himself at a small table next to Yuzu and Karin, giving Karin a wink. She glanced at him, glared, then returned to her book with a heavy sigh. Yuzu smiled, and began taking about how much fun she'd had with Rukia on the way here. Isshin hugged her and looked over at a wide-eyed Ichigo.

"Dad..." he growled. "Where are the other seats?"

Isshin shook his head, as if they'd disappeared before his eyes. "My, my! It looks like this table only seats three! You and Rukia-chan will have to find another seat. How about that wonderful two-seater over there, huh? Huh, Ichigo my boy?" Isshin had the most sadistic glint in his eye. He winked. "Apparently that girl is freshening herself up in the bathroom, but I'm sure she'll be out momentarily. Call her over there or I will."

Suddenly, to Ichigo, homicide didn't seem to be such an unpardonable sin. In fact...it seemed quite appealing, and became more so with each moment that passed. He slumped over to a small booth and sat down, using the little time he had to compose himself.

His composure cracked and scattered when she walked out and looked around. A small covering of sheer lace went over the front of the dress, tied together with slender strings, its sleeves long and loose. He was gaping, he was sure of it.

_God, Ichigo! _He swore at himself. She isn't even—isn't even—she isn't even pretty!

What was that about that stupid little puppet whose nose grew when it lied? Suddenly he was grateful that fairy tales were truly tales and not reality. He stuttered on a greeting and slowly raised his hand and waved her over, not trusting himself to speak. Rukia raised her eyebrows and walked to the table. "Where are your sisters?" she asked immediately.

Grateful for the change of subject, he absently jerked a thumb over his shoulders. "With Dad."

"Oh." She nodded. "Ah...hmm." Her eyebrows knit, slender arms crossing in a decidedly not feminine way over her chest. "So what now?"

_Yes, Ichigo. What now, huh? _"Ah, well...you see, we're just here to eat. We have to wait to order, and..."

She looked at him for a moment, and her expression creased even more. "What's that?"

Damn! He'd forgotten! He found himself fumbling. "It's...called a suit. Dad made me wear it."

Rukia smirked, tension loosening from her features as she leaned forward onto clasped hands. "And why do people wear these suits? You haven't worn one before."

The words came out suddenly, without his consent, if only to bridge the silence. "For special occasions like parties, weddings, formal events..." Wait.

Had the word wedding just come out of his mouth?

Ichigo swore inwardly, looking at Rukia. He sure hoped she wasn't getting the wrong impression.

She just nodded. "I see. And would this be a special occasion?"

"Ask my dad. He made me wear it," Ichigo grumbled.

Rukia's eyes remained on the suit. "And that?" she pointed.

"It's a _tie_."

"Ohh."

She looked him thoughtfully up and down even as a waiter took their orders. "And what would this young couple like to drink?" he asked with a wink.

Ichigo said loudly that they weren't a couple, and Rukia smiled. "Water for both of us, please. Thank you."

She looked at him when she was over. "How'd I do? See, Nii-sama attends these social events so I know the whole etiquette. I figure these restaurants are the same. Right?"

Ichigo shrugged. "I guess." When their meals arrived, Ichigo dug in, mostly to keep his mouth from saying things it shouldn't. A single insight from Rukia made him spit it onto the plate again, however.

"You should wear these suits more often," she said decisively.

"Ah...what?" He frowned, then grabbed his composure. "Whatever." After that, the food was tasteless. In all honesty, he couldn't remember what he'd eaten when it was gone.

A comfortable silence passed between them, where words weren't really needed. Ichigo looked up at her, a quirk of a smile pulling at his mouth. "You know, I was sorta expecting a disaster, but...this was kinda nice, don't you think?"

Rukia just grinned knowingly and leaned back in her seat. She looked out of the restaurant's small window, and sat up suddenly, brightly.

"Hey, the sunset is beautiful," she whispered. "Let's go look at it." The eagerness in her eyes brought him to his feet without argument, and out of the front door.

Isshin gave a happy whoop as they wandered out. "Have _fun, _kids!"

Somehow Ichigo knew his dad wasn't thinking about good, wholesome fun. He oh-so-kindly flipped his father off behind his back and walked out with Rukia.

"Follow me," she said softly. "You can't see it well from here."

He followed her behind the restaurant and up the fire escape to the top of the nearest building, where she rested on the edge of the building and swung her feet over. "Beautiful," she breathed, gazing breathlessly at the colors splashed across the sky. It was all pink today, covered in faded shades of the color that ranged from near-violet to powder pink, dusky and yet bright, completely beautiful.

She reached a hand out to the sky and closed her eyes, the cloth of her dress rustling up around her knees. Silently, Ichigo slid onto the ledge and sat beside her, sitting close. "It is beautiful," he said.

Her black hair swirled restlessly around her head, chaotic and yet far more breathtaking than any sunset. She turned to him. "It was nice staying here. I've had a lot of fun."

But she wouldn't be here forever. Ichigo slumped forward, cupping his chin in his hands. "I'm glad," he said. "How much longer?"

"Soon," she said. "But I'll come back to bother you, don't worry. It's just for a little bit, this time. A few days. Besides..." The grin she tossed him brimmed with mischief. "There's something I wanna do there."

He didn't bother asking. "So...maybe you can go to the mall when you come back?"

"The escalators!" Rukia swung her feet. "But only if you come with me. You have to do it with me this time. It'll be fun."

He shrugged, glancing over at her. She shivered slightly in the cool wind, staring out beyond the sunrise. "So I'll see you soon?" she said.

He put his hand on top of the one next to him, and no answer was needed. Rukia leaned a bit against him, and he loosened the suit jacket and draped its edge around her. She sighed.

"Well, tell your sisters I had fun with them, Ichigo. I should probably be heading out now. See ya."

She got up and only walked halfway down the ladder before dropping lithely to the ground. The sun had fallen below the horizon, and her form became bathed in darkness. He wished he could have told her how beautiful she looked, but she was gone before he could speak.

As a pseudo-date, it hadn't actually been that bad. He'd been expecting awkwardness, but had found an ease he didn't feel around many people. He'd expected her to be bored, but she seemed to have enjoyed it. He found that he had, too. Okay, so it hadn't gone like dinners were supposed to, and they'd ended up on top of a dusty, grimy ledge looking out at the dying light of day.

When he curled up in bed that night and thought about it, though, he couldn't think of anything he'd have done differently.

He smiled when he received word from Renji several days later. Apparently, upon returning to Soul Society, Rukia had petitioned for all male shinigami to have to wear suits. When asked her reason, Renji recounted to the orange-haired boy, Rukia had matter-of-factly stated that it had looked _damn good_ on Ichigo.

She hadn't gotten far with that, but Ichigo found it all quite amusing

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Sad to say, this one is pretty random. It's a bit crazy and a bit fluffy, never quite deciding on which it wants to be. Hehe, that's sorta what Ichigo and Rukia are like, though, I think. I hope the mix wasn't too jarring or anything. Happy Valentine's Day to all the wonderful people here! You guys keep me going with your amazing reviews, and I can't say thank you enough. So this is for all of the wonderful people who put up with my insane fluff, crack, and angst, and for the wonderful thing that is IchiRuki. Any thoughts and/or constructive criticism would be cherished.** Please Review?**


	22. Picnic

**Picnic**

**Notes: **What do you get when you mix Rukia and assorted picnic items? **One. Big. Mess. **And, of course, some fluffy IchiRuki moments. This chapter is a little bit random, dealing with nothing in particular but everything in general.

**

* * *

**

Powdery yellow light strained through cotton-candy clouds and alighted upon swaying grass in the largest clearing of Karakura Park. For all purposes, the day was perfect. A disarming calm wafted on a gentle breeze.

This absurd tranquility was broken only by the occasional frustrated yell. Since this particular section of the park had only two guests today, the frustrated yells came inevitably from the mouth of one Kurosaki Ichigo.

"It's for sitting _on, _Rukia! You are not supposed to sit _under _a picnic blanket!"

When she continued to worm happily under the red-checked sheet, tenting it with her feet, Ichigo let out an exasperated groan. Somewhere very very deep in his subconscious, he thought it was sort of adorable how she could be so playful and clueless, but the rest of him quelled that and just let the fleeting annoyance show through. She finally sat upright, but he didn't count it as an improvement because she was still under the checkered cloth. She was small enough that even sitting up left quite a bit of free cloth on the sides, and Ichigo had a malicious urge to curl up on the blanket and trap her in.

Instead, he grabbed a wad of cloth right on top of her head and pulled the blanket away.

There she sat, eyes wide, silky black hair alive and writhing with static electricity.

Ichigo found it all quite hilarious. Frizzy locks of hair embraced her face statically, like they'd never let go, accenting her wide eyes. Abruptly, her small hands went up and smoothed it down. She looked up, having regathered her composure, even though the odd strand still danced randomly with static that hadn't quite dissipated.

Ichigo didn't bother holding in his laugh. Maybe it was the cool wind that smelled ever so slightly of freshness and flowers, or maybe it was all this life and silence around him, but something about this cursed place stole his restraint away. He swung the blanket down and pointed the Rukia. "On top of it, this time." He watched as she sat atop the cloth with mock annoyance, crossing her slender arms over her chest.

She wore a little red shirt with small lace sleeves that blew about the tops of her arms. The same lace tightened the front of the shirt around her, and she'd finally cast aside her usual skirt for a pair of khaki-colored capris. As usual, she'd stolen a pair of Yuzu's sandals. He sat down beside her, wondering if there was any way he could get her to wear red more often. Ichigo grabbed the picnic basket and pulled it over onto the corner, bracing that edge of the blanket with it so the wind couldn't blow anything away. He reached in, containing a smile, and pulled a small packet from it. He held it out. "Thought you'd like these," he said, swinging one in his hand.

Like a cat, she attacked, stealing the object from his grasp. "Ooh..." She poked the soft pouch. "What is it?"

"Kinda like those juice boxes you're scarily obsessed with, except it's like a bag. I figure you'll have an easier time _opening _these."

He laid down on the blanket. Nah, that wasn't really why he'd got them. The terrible truth was that he loved how she looked when she found a new toy. It hurt when she sat in some corner, staring into a place where he couldn't follow her, fallen deeply into painful memories. So her wide-eyed wonderment was nice. In fact...it was preferable.

If he was going to be honest with himself—and damn it, the peace in his place sure made him honest with himself—he loved her smile. Of course, he also loved the confusion, too. Confusion played a major role in this particular discovery.

"Why is it soft, Ichigo? Won't it break?" She absently poked at it, making it swing back and forth.

"Nah. It's made not to." He shrugged, lifting a few more picnic items from the basket. "I'll make some sandwiches."

She didn't care. She was too busy beating on the unresisting bag. She pulled the sharp yellow straw from it and grinned; pointed to it. "A _straw_, Ichigo!" she said, proud to have learned the object's name in her first encounter with juice boxes.

"Wonderful deduction," he murmured. "Now drink it, Einstein."

She stuck her tongue out at him. She looked at the straw.

From what he'd heard from Renji, she was reasonably intelligent. Hell, from all he'd seen in her, she was a freakin' genius. So it stumped him that she was so pathetically inadequate at small things like opening a simple container.

Stumped? No. Maybe...amused.

Rukia looked at the sharp point of the straw and something like sadistic realization crossed her face.

"About time!" Ichigo said. He turned back to the picnic basket, taking its contents out onto the blanket. He'd gotten a fair amount of junk food, despite that he'd promised Yuzu he'd eat healthy, and he stacked that off to the side. Sandwiches...

He'd made two when Rukia's suppressed giggling turned him around.

Rukia and giggling... never, _ever _a good thing. He sighed rolled his eyes, turning to see Rukia carefully bracing the small bag with her fingers and giving it a malicious stab with the straw.

"What the _he_—?!"

She didn't spare him a glance, and placed a few more holes in the bag with precise jabs.

"Rukiastoppit!" Ichigo said, his words running over each other. Pale fluid leaked onto the picnic blanket.

How was he going to explain this?

Premeditated violent homicide of a juice pouch.

Growling, he picked its murdered corpse off of the blanket, holding it in the air as it leaked juice from a multitude of holes. "What'd you do that for?" he demanded.

She stared at it grumpily. "Couldn't find the stupid hole," she pouted. "It pissed me off."

Ichigo had a sudden vision of Rukia holding her zanpakutou with violent intent, and made a strong mental note never to '_piss her off'_. He didn't fancy following the juice pouch to a pin-cushion's death.

"Lookit, Rukia," Ichigo said. He pulled another one out, taking the straw—A.K.A murder weapon—from her hands. Easily, he slid it into the hole, and handed it to her.

Curling forward grumpily, elbows on her knees, she sipped at it with pouting lips. "I wanted to open it." But by the time she'd finished her third, she was much happier, and had learned how to grip the squirming packets just right to open them cleanly.

Everything went calmly until Ichigo stuck a gummy worm in her sandwich.

Rukia didn't find it too horribly amusing.

The wind continued to blow, picking up as storm clouds swept over the sky, bathing them in shadow. Any bystanders would _still_ see two people sporadically arguing with each other, and the occasional shout or squeak still sounded as the rain began to fall, but what bystanders would noy see was the little hidden smile that curled their lips when they thought the other wasn't looking.

The falling drizzle turned into a pour, wetting Ichigo's hair against his face, and with a flourish, he took the last remaining item—the picnic blanket—and swung it around the shoulders of Rukia and himself, tightening it around them and pulling her close.

"Just 'til we get out of the rain," he said.

Rukia nodded, not minding as she felt the warmth of his body against her. "Ichigo," she said softly.

"Hmm?"

"I thought you said not to get under the blanket."

He smiled. "This is an exception, dope. Come on; let's get home."

Rukia nodded, unable to keep a small smile from her face. She moved the slightest bit closer to him. "I'm so getting you back for that gummy worm, though."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I'm sorry for the late update! I ended up putting an IshiHime oneshot up a bit ago, and I thought it would be too much to update yet again so soon. ::blush:: This was inspired by the mental image of Rukia encountering a juice pouch (rather than a juice box) and turning it into a pin-cushion. (The reference to Rukia's earlier encounter with juice boxes actually comes from the Bleach series itself.) Thanks for reading! I'd love any thoughts to death! Was this one okay? **Please Review? **(_pathetic pleading puppy eyes_)


	23. Swing

**Swing**

**Notes: **_Fluff_. This is fluff down to its very **painfully** sweet core. This will decay your mental teeth. Read at your own risk! It's a bit sad, but when I think of all the things that people take for granted, the things that some don't have the chance to experience...I get sad, too. Thanks for taking the time to look! I hope you enjoy the story! I know it may be a bit too fluffy, but Ichigo isn't as shallow or emotionless as he likes to pretend he is. I'd like to imagine that maybe he might think of things a little bit like he does here...

* * *

"Because! Well, I...I mean—just because! 'Cause it's obvious!"

"Because _why?_" Rukia challenged, leaning closer to the frustrated boy beside her. "Don't you have a reason? You're pretty pathetic if you don't. Better tell me or I'll do it again!"

Ichigo swore heavily. "Cause you could get _killed, _you idiot!"

She ran across the street anyway, weaving between a few cars and waving obliviously to the pissed drivers. "School is _out, _world!" she cried to no one in general. Though of course she had not attended regularly, playing with her memory modifier made it seem like she had to most of the students, and she acted like any teenager on the last day of school.

When Ichigo looked, he saw that the enthusiasm wasn't there, though.

She was just playing schoolgirl again. For some reason, it hurt to see her that way, pretending for all she was worth that she was just another average teen. There was the littlest bit of hardened cynicism around the corners of her mouth that even her talented acting couldn't wipe away, and a slope to her sorrowful blue eyes that spoke of more pain than anyone should have had the misfortune to see. Ichigo saw it because he saw it in himself, every morning, as he put on his own act to hide his true face.

Rukia skipped down the sidewalk and onto a bridge, visibly happy to all except the person who could see what she _really_ felt. After a few moments, she stopped, beautiful eyes riveted on a happy scene far below the bridge they walked across. Her fingers twined into the fence as she stared down, entranced, as a mother gently played with two young children. "Ichigo...what's that?"

If hearts were made of glass, as all those sappy cliches seemed to imply they were, Ichigo's would have cracked. "It's a playground, Rukia." _What the hell? What kinda kid doesn't know what a playground is? _The kind that stood in front of him, he supposed. He forced himself to act light-hearted. "Oh, come on. You've gotta be joking."

She shrugged and continued on. He walked ahead of her, and didn't mention it again. After they'd walked for a bit, Rukia spoke up. "This isn't the way you usually walk home..."

"I know. We're not going home."

He wandered along the dusty path to the park's playground. Green leaves overshadowed the walk, whispering secrets to each other over the soft wind. Above them, little bits of violet sky peeked through the leaves, strewn with clouds of the same color and a promise of a magnificent sunset. He arrived in front of a swing set. "You ever been on one of these?"

She shook her head. "We should get home."

"Nah, I'm gonna show you some stuff. It should not be legal for any living human to be ignorant to the great things about playgrounds. Sit in the little seat, there. My mom...she used to do this for me, when I was younger. She'd sit me down..." Rukia sat down. Ichigo grabbed the chains and swung gently. "And she'd do this. Back and forth. I liked to see how high I could go. Rukia...you weren't kidding when you said you didn't know what any of this was, were you?"

She shrugged. "Don't see how it matters. There are lots of things I didn't get to see."

"But—" She seemed so nonchalant about it, so carefree. But she wasn't. Everything in her voice and posture begged him to drop the subject. Ichigo bit his lip. "I mean—I'm sorry."

Rukia broke in, brushing his words away and awkwardly avoiding his gaze. "Damn it, Ichigo! Enough with the pity! I don't need it. I died in the real world when I was an infant. I didn't have a chance to see or remember anything. Then I was with a sister I don't even remember, running to survive in Rukongai. Even when I found some people to be with, I didn't have time for that kind of stuff. But I'm me and I grew up like I did so give it a rest. Life isn't all bubbles and smiles and happy memories."

Yeah, he knew that. But despite everything, even though his mother was dead, he remembered her, remembered her laughter and her caring kisses goodnight. He remembered the way he'd pretend to be all grown up for her, and how she'd let him taste the sweets she made. Bedtime stories while sitting in her lap...he remembered those, too. And Rukia didn't have any of it, any of those memories. How dare he even think he could imagine what she'd been through? He sighed.

He couldn't show all that to her, and couldn't give her all the memories and motherly compassion that his mom had given him. She didn't like compassion, anyway.

So maybe he'd give her the only thing he could give: love. And love wasn't something you gave because you felt sorry for a person. It was something you gave to someone like _her_. Someone who'd turned your life upside down...someone you'd give your life for because you just couldn't live without them. And it didn't need to be spoken. Ichigo thought he'd never actually say it, because words would ruin it. Besides, words couldn't do it justice.

"You're right. I don't need to show you anything. But I'm gonna show you anyway because I suck and because I don't think you can jump farther than I can. But we'll worry about that later. For now, you swing and I'll push."

She got used to pulling her legs in and kicking them out to bring her higher, and he watched as the gentle purple light illuminated her features. She looked calm and at ease. If he could do nothing else in the whole world, he thought he'd like to make this one person happy. If all his other efforts were wasted, he thought that maybe it would be worth it if he could give her a smile. And then he realized how much he sounded like a _complete idiot._

But then he realized it was all true, and that it didn't _matter_ if he sounded like an idiot.

He pushed. She swung forward.

_I'm behind you. I'll always be behind you, Rukia. Don't be afraid._

He pushed against her back as she leaned back again.

_If you fall, I'll catch you, and if I can't catch you, then I'll fall with you until we both hit the bottom._

He stepped back this time, letting her swing far beyond his reach, laughing to the sky and smiling like she meant it. He took a swing beside her.

They never did get around to jumping. They just swung until the sun was blanketed by the horizon, until darkness was almost complete. When they finally got off, they drank at the water fountain and splashed a good amount of water on each other.

She was silent as they left, but she walked closer to him. She didn't put on the schoolgirl act. Even in silence, they were comfortable. Halfway home, bathed in deep violet darkness, she whispered slow words against his side. "Thank you, Ichigo."

He smiled and didn't answer, reaching an arm around her and using the most convenient excuse. "Don't get all weird on me. I'm just making sure you don't run across the street again."

He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. He might have been just a bit too enthusiastic when they'd splashed each other. Her clothes were damp and the wind was chilling.

She smiled and turned away so he couldn't see that she was happy.

He smiled and covered it with a quick look of indifference.

Some things would never change.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **See? I have sunk to the lowest of lows, people! Mindless fluff. I **hope** I was able to portray the unspoken affection between these two, though. They'd never really say any of it, but I sometimes imagine that they might think it. Anyway, I was thinking of writing a sort of semi follow-up with Ichigo as the clueless one...when Rukia brings him to Rukongai! I think it would be fun. And I'm sorry I haven't really updated! I've been either busy, plagued with writer's block, or away with my dad (I'm currently with him for a month. He drives a truck so I'm all over the U.S! The problem is that only some of the places we stop at have internet access.) So...any thoughts would be absolutely cherished! **Please, _Please _Review?**


	24. Joyride

**Joyride**

**Notes:** Because the first thing we saw a young Rukia do was to steal water and stomp repeatedly on a man's face. I don't think it's beyond her at all to steal a car, especially if it's for Ichigo. Well...I hope this turned out all right!

* * *

"Rukia?"

The jangling of metal against metal; soft, measured breaths; the sound of shifting cloth. Silence.

"Hmm?"

"I hope you know this is illegal."

Her shoulders slammed against the steering wheel. Sitting up straight, messy hair and all, Rukia stared irritably.

She just _looked_ at him for a moment, then, abruptly smiling, nodded. "I'm trying, but I'm finding it rather difficult to care," she returned with that same twisted smile. "It's not like anything's going to happen, Ichigo. Loosen up! You've been as stuffy as Nii-sama lately, just fighting hollows and doing what you have to do and such. You really need to give it a rest. And for God's sake, it's like you've never done anything illegal before."

And if he was going to answer her in honesty, he really hadn't. Unless you counted sneaking through Soul Society to save her head from the chopping block—which he didn't; crimes in alternate dimensions were immediately disqualified—and a few other minor things, he hadn't done anything horribly illegal. The look on her face said she couldn't claim the same, however. Twisting his father's keys in the ignition of his father's car, Rukia smiled. She nodded happily as the well-kept engine roared to life. "Excellent," she said. "We'll just take a quick ride, and bring it back before he's done responding to that emergency call. He won't have a clue."

And as long as he was being _honest_ with himself... her grin would have sent the devil scurrying away in fear. Her pitifully pleading eyes would also have had any man on earth laying down his life for her. Despite the fact that he knew that _she_ knew that he couldn't say no to those eyes, and despite the fact that he really, honestly tried to meet her gaze and give her a flat out _no, _he failed. Quite miserably, in fact.

And on that note, she squealed out of the driveway, mounting a Chappy plush on the rearview mirror and almost turning the neighbor's fat feline into a smoking pile of cat meat.

Kurosaki Isshin owned an impressive scarlet Corvette convertible. Rukia had_ stolen _that scarlet Corvette convertible.

Ichigo tried to wrap his mind around it all, and again, failed rather miserably.

Instead, he focused his attention on Rukia. Her hair fell smoothly to her shoulders, charcoal black and just a bit messy over her challenging violet eyes. A glossy mouth turned up in what could only be called a smirk. She looked dangerous.

She _was _dangerous.

Ichigo wondered why he couldn't stop looking at her.

"So," Rukia said conversationally. "What does that red light mean?"

Ichigo snapped his head up, eyes wide. He hadn't noticed how quickly Rukia had gained speed. They were now approaching a red light at fifty miles per hour. A stream of traffic crossed the intersection, completely oblivious. In a few moments, they'd be part of a traffic sandwich. "It means stop or we'll be mincemeat, you insane freak!"

It seemed that the word "gradual" was not to be found in her vocabulary, because instead of easing onto the brake, she nodded and jammed her foot onto it, bringing the car to a gut-wrenching stop. Ichigo gasped and coughed a couple times to make sure his lungs were still there. Pulling at the locked seatbelt, and thankful that the airbag hadn't come out and broken his nose, he leaned back. "Slowly..." he groaned, sure that slamming against his seatbelt had completely squashed his internal organs. "I _meant_...stop..._slowly._"

Unharmed, she blinked several times, pursing her lips together. "Ohhh... I see." She nodded.

"And the green light?"

Ichigo was almost afraid to explain it to her. "Go," he rasped out at last. "It means you're allowed to go."

"How sweet!" Rukia smiled and waved to the stoplight as she passed. "Thank you!"

Ichigo wondered if it was possible to melt in his seat and die. Rukia pressed on the accelerator, absentmindedly tinkering with her Chappy toy. "You know, this is pretty fun. I've always heard that driving is a wonderful experience, but I didn't know, since I hadn't really tried it before."

_Oh. Wonderful._ Ichigo wondered how much one had to endure before they could claim not guilty by reason of insanity. Because when Rukia ended up in jail for this insane escapade, he'd be stark-raving bonkers, he was sure of it. "Do you mean you've never driven before? Rukia, you idiot! There's a lot to learn about cars before you should even _try _to drive one! I really, honestly _hate_ to have to play the voice of reason, but stop this car right now!"

"Can't."

"_Why_ can't you?" Was he yelling? Yes, he was yelling.

"That."

Rukia pointed in the rearview mirror. "I don't know much, but flashing lights aren't good, are they?"

By now, nothing could surprise Ichigo. "Not particularly," he sighed.

"Oh. Should I kill it?"

"K—kill? The policeman?" Ichigo hoped for the sake of his sanity that he had heard her wrong.

"Yeah. What else should I do?" Rukia growled and flipped her hair away from her face, tossing back the single lock of hair that always seemed to be falling in between her eyes. "He's gaining on us!" After a moment, she sighed. "Oh, well. I can take care of this." Braking in a squeal of rubber, she swerved over to the side of the road.

"Good!" she said, once they had come to a stop. "I thought that might have been the brake."

And if it hadn't? They were about thirty feet away from a bridge. Under that bridge was about twenty feet of nothing and then a river. Ichigo didn't even want to think about it.

The car pulled in behind them, turning the sirens off so the lights were the only thing on. "What do I do?" Rukia whispered, but there was no time to answer. Rukia spun to face the approaching official.

The policeman sauntered up to her window. "Can I see your license and registration?"

Rukia smiled at the policeman with wide, innocent eyes. "What are those?" she chirped.

Ichigo could not refrain from slapping his head.

"License and registration, _please_," the man repeated.

"Oh, whatever. I'll figure out what they are on my own, then. Hey, you, what does this button do?" Rukia pointed to the windshield wipers. Without warning, she started them. The policeman was sprayed with a mist of wiper fluid and water.

He went stiff and ground out his next words slowly and with exaggerated patience. "Are you aware that you were going eighty miles per hour? That's thirty-five miles over the posted speed limit."

Rukia nodded. "That's really neat. You wanna know what's cooler, though? I'm not gonna lie to you. Usually I'd say that _he_ made me do it or something, but I don't want to have to bother about all that this time. It gets really boring having to cry all over guys to make them let me go."

"Please step out of the car, miss. I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you and your companion to the station. May I have the names of your parents, please?"

Rukia leaned against the steering wheel. "I'd tell you if I knew. Anyway, I'm sorta getting tired of this. No time." She grabbed the chappy bunny and unzipped a zipper on its head, pulling out a small and rather pathetic-looking object. A small, toy duck head mounted on a spring swung back and forth in her hand. "Look at this!" Rukia cried enthusiastically. The policeman made the mistake of looking.

He blinked heavily and fell to the ground, totally out of it. The duck head swung back and forth in the aftermath of its use.

Ichigo stared. "Wh—what the—?"

Rukia replaced the toy and smiled at Ichigo, her mood shift almost bipolar. "I thought I might need this. Remember? The memory modifier. I love this little thing."

Ichigo did remember. She'd used it on Inoue and Tatsuki once, with rather disastrous results. "Remind me _never_ to do anything you'll want me to forget."

He looked down at the policeman, who sat up, dazed, and wished them a nice day, walking away murmuring something about feeding the ducks on his way home and meeting up with an evil, furry black rabbit.

Rukia leaned back into the car's seat, closing her eyes very briefly. She opened them and nodded happily at the sight beyond the bridge. "Anyway, it's time to relax." The sun glinted through the clouds and reflected flawlessly on the still surface of the water below the bridge. The wind sent ripples across its surface, making the sunlight sparkle in waves across the concrete structure, and the soft breeze rustled their hair through the open top of the car.

"Relax?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes, that's why I brought you out here."

Ichigo blinked at her. He leaned back in the seat and looked up to the sky, where one bird chased another through the air, dipping and weaving with wings outstretched. Crossing his arms behind his head, he tossed her a glance. "Why?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno. Lately, you've been all caught up with hollows and Aizen and all those things that aren't _here, _aren't _alive_, and I figured that, beyond beating you to a pulp, there wasn't a way to get you to take some time to loosen up. So..hurry up and relax so we can go," she said huffily. "My compassion has limits, you know, and I've just about reached them."

He smirked and closed his eyes. "I'm going to ignore you for a bit."

She elbowed him, but left him alone after that. After a few minutes, he secretly glanced her way and saw a smile. With the town and the people he cared for in danger, he had no right to loosen up, but maybe...maybe it was okay to relax...just a little bit.

"Rukia."

She gave him a glance that pretended to be irritated. "Mm."

"Thanks."

When they did go, the ride was much smoother than it had been before. They arrived home to silence, and Rukia looked at him for a moment, a question in her eyes. He nodded, and Rukia smiled at him, pulling the keys from the ignition and handing them to him before racing away. "Now don't be an idiot and get some fresh air once in a while!" She seemed ready to throw her shoe at him, but thought twice.

Ichigo unbuckled his seatbelt and slipped from the car onto the pavement, not daring to move. He closed his eyes.

"She's a crazy one, isn't she? Must be tough to handle."

Ichigo nodded. That was _exactly _how it was. "Yeah, but she really is worth—" He stopped suddenly, sitting up. "Crap! Dad!"

Isshin looked down at the orange-haired boy beneath him.

And Ichigo knew what was going to come next. Some heartful lecture about stealing (which his father would naturally assume he had done) and then he would be tackled and pinned to the ground while Isshin mourned to Masaki how horrible their son had become.

He waited for it. He was just too tired to resist.

"Dad..." And besides, as tempting as it was, he couldn't let Rukia take the blame. "It was my fault, and—"

"I saw Rukia-chan borrow the keys to the car," Isshin said, "so I decided to pretend to head out on an emergency call." Isshin sprawled out on the pavement beside Ichigo. "She's worried about you. And you know, if you weren't here, I'd totally pick her up, so don't let a girl like that go to waste, my boy!"

"Filthy old man," Ichigi growled, standing abruptly and kicking his father's knee. He walked away.

_Worried about me?_

He sighed, rubbing the mark from the seat belt that would most certainly become a bruise.

She sure did have a funny way of showing it.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **So...yeah. I suppose this is really just a collection of nutty events sandwiched into one sort of, kind of, **totally **_insane _story. I really hope it's able to give you a smile! (As opposed to a disappointed "why-in-the-world-did-I-even-read-this" sort of sigh.) Either way, thoughts and suggestions are always welcome. And...in case anyone is wondering... yes, the memory modifier in the manga looks like nothing more than a toy duckie mounted on a spring. So cute! Anyway... **_Please Review?_**


	25. Spin

**Spin**

**Notes:** Silliness, ceiling fans, sketchbooks, symbolism, and all such insanity. It just makes me so sad to think of how Rukia must have felt when she had to leave everything she'd come to know in the real world to face death in Soul Society. Anyway, I sort of deviated from the usual with this one. It's a bit more depressing than my other stories, but not too much ( ::_gulp_:: I hope?) because Ichigo would follow Rukia anywhere.

* * *

The phrase, _it was hot enough to fry eggs on the sidewalk? _Forget that. It was hot enough to send those little buggers to _hell._ Complete incineration.

Rukia sat on Ichigo's bed as the boy screwed something into the ceiling painstakingly. He bit his lip tenderly and glared up at the metal object he held in place, head tilted at an awkward angle as he twisted the screws in to the ceiling. A thin film of sweat glinted on his face. If Rukia was honest, she sorta liked the view. He looked rather endearing while putting his rusty little brain to work. Ichigo finally dropped the screwdriver and sighed, collapsing into the seat he'd been standing on. "_Done,_" he said at last.

Rukia feigned interest while nodding up at the device hanging from the ceiling. "So? What is it?" She wiped sweat from her own face and tapped her pencil against the sketchbook beneath her.

"A ceiling fan," Ichigo said, "To keep this darned heat out."

Adding a few random shapes to her doodlings, Rukia closed her sketchbook and crossed her legs on the bed. "What does it _do,_ though?"

Ichigo sighed. He didn't bother answering, choosing instead to pull a metal cord that dangled from the device. The blades spun up ever so slowly, gaining in speed until they hummed consistently. "Circulation," he said. "It gets all the muggy, hot air and it circulates it. It's _still_ muggy and hot, but it's moving. Moving is a good thing," he said dryly. Then, "It's good for ceiling fans, at least. I don't think I wanna move an inch for a few years, though."

That statement was quickly refuted when Ichigo decided he was hungry. Rukia shrugged as he wandered out to get something to eat, and slid off the bed to stand under the strange device, reaching up to touch the spinning blades. They beat a tune against her fingers, but it was slow.

"Stupid thing." She pulled that cord like Ichigo had done, attempting to turn the useless fan off. It sped up. "Ah," she murmured. "Much better."

She settled back onto the bed, flipping her notebook open again and taking a slender pencil into her hand. An annoying but faintly familiar presence on her shoulder caught her attention. "Go stare at naked girls, Kon," she murmured, slamming her notebook shut once again.

Kon skittered up around her neck and began talking enthusiastically. "All I need is Neeee-san!" he said. "I'll never ever let go!"

"Oh, yes you will." Rukia made a move to brush him off.

"Don't leeeeeave me!" Kon cried, plush hands clinging to the cloth of the thin dress she wore. "So heartless!" She could've sworn he grabbed right down _there _intentionally. With an irritated flick of her hand, she sent the perverted plush toy flying. He scrambled right back, right up onto her shoulder again, and nestled in. "What are you drawing?" he asked, catching her just before she slammed the sketch book closed.

"Ooh, it's me!" he said.

"It sure as hell _isn't_ you," Rukia murmured under her breath. Though it _was_ the body he occasionally took up residence in.

For a stuffed toy, Kon caught on pretty fast. He could also pull off menacing pretty well. "Hey, Ichi_gooo_!"

"Shut it, Kon!" Ichigo yelled from the kitchen. "I'm eating!"

Kon pointed wordlessly to the notepad, where Rukia had sketched a small figure against the blue-lined paper. "Don't say a word or I'll take out your soul pill and stick it in Isshin's underwear," Rukia hissed. She sat up and bit her lip, sliding up to the wall, almost buried in Ichigo's pillows as her eyes wandered over the absentminded sketch. Despite the heat, she grabbed his pillow and gripped it absentmindedly, somehow finding comfort in its warmth. She traced her fingers over the page.

A single figure had been drawn on the right side, spiky hair sketched in, slender build reminiscent of one carrot top who currently stood obliviously in the kitchen. One might not have immediately guessed it was him, though...because the character was faceless.

She had been tempted to sketch his features in—had known she could, had hoped she would be able to, but she didn't let herself.

In the end, it was a matter of emotion. She was getting too close to him.

She felt differently about him than she had about anyone before. That was something she couldn't deny. This hot-headed, orange-haired nutcase... She sighed.

They would find her, soon enough. She would be taken back to Soul Society, and for her crimes, she would be condemned. She could not afford to think of words like _run _or _stay._

She wanted to, though. She wanted to run from them, to stay with _him._

But if she ran, then he would be in danger, and if she stayed, he would get in too deep. She could not forgive herself for that.

So even if, to her, he had to remain faceless, she'd do it so he could remain alive. She'd sketched herself on the opposite side of the page, back turned to him, her hand stretching out behind her.

It reached nowhere, though, touching only the jagged line she'd drawn between herself and him.

Kon...Kon had jumped to conclusions. This picture only portrayed the space between them.

Rukia refused to believe that the stinging warmth in her eyes was tears.

Her head snapped up when she heard Ichigo's footsteps. Kon scrambled to the edge of the bed, all too eager to tell Ichigo about his miscontrued perceptions of Rukia's drawing. "Ichigooo...nee-san's got the hots for—"

Rukia smiled and briskly snatched a shirt—and Kon—from Ichigo's bed, twisting the shirt around Kon and slinging him up on that wondrous ceiling fan, all before the footsteps stopped in front of the door.

Ichigo walked in, sandwich in hand, to see Rukia grinning and standing in the seat while Kon spun in dizzying circles, gasping out unintelligible snippets of words.

Ichigo took a liesurely bite of his sandwich. "Did I miss something?"

"Nah. Hiya, Ichigo." But maybe that was her way to say goodbye.

The fan spun slowly, so slowly, teetering from one side to another in an attempt to accomplish the impossible. But at least it had a place to go. At least it had a home, a purpose.

At least it could stay.

Rukia let her hair fall over her face, because suddenly, it hurt to smile. She imagined that if the heat wasn't as bad as it was today, she would have had no excuse for the drops of moisture that trailed down her cheeks. Suddenly, she hated the ceiling fan.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Please forgive me? I know this one is a little bit different, but there are just so many aspects to Ichigo and Rukia's relationship that I had to explore a little. I really hope that I was able to portray the depth of Rukia's feelings, though. To anyone who read this, I am very, _very_ thankful! (_gives hugs and eternal gratitude_) Hehe, this is actually the first time I've ever written Kon. Any thoughts at all would be indescribably appreciated! **Please Review?**


	26. Hold Me

**Hold Me: Never Alone**

**Disclaimer/Notes:** I got to wondering, which is always a very, very bad thing. Considering the properties of Rukia's zanpakutou... I wondered if maybe she could ice skate. And when thinking about that, I remembered Ichigo's general aversion to dreary weather, so I wondered...has _he_ ever learned at all? There are also some mentions of Chappy—the gikongan who occupies Rukia's body when she is in shinigami form, and an artifact Ichigo acquires that allows him to get out of his body without the help of Kon.

* * *

It didn't feel so good being on the wrong side of stupid.

"You mean... you really... _really _haven't done it before?"

"And _you _have?"

"Not under that name, but yes."

And Rukia's face had this twistedly happy, all-knowing smirk, as if he hadn't just told her not to stick her fingers in the toaster this morning. As if _she _was the smart one, which was _totally _not true. Ichigo growled and stepped back. "Yeah, well who needs to do something stupid like this, anyway?"

"You do," she said. "Just think of it as a training exercise."

"I don't have skates," Ichigo said.

"That's no problem. I don't, either. You're going to buy me some." The words were so matter-of-fact, as if this was already a certainty.

"Oh, I will?" Ichigo growled.

"Well... unless you want me to tell your dad how we've been having hot, steamy—"

"_Okay!_ You want skates, we'll get skates." They had never had hot, steamy _anything, _but he knew she wasn't kidding. Then he'd have to deal with his dad's tearful speech about safe sex and becoming a man, and that just wasn't going to happen. Ever.

Rukia clapped her hands together.

A few hours later, the two exited from the store, one considerably more hyper, and the other dead tired and slightly murderous.

Ichigo wasn't the hyper one.

They were halfway home when a realization hit him. _They had the skates, but..._ "Where the hell we gonna get the skating rink?"

She continued strutting forward as if he hadn't spoken at all. "You worry about getting the skates on. I'll worry about the rest."

Ichigo growled under his breath. "What, you want me to pay for that, too? I don't have much money. I'd get a job, but _someone _has me up at all hours of the day and night playing hide and seek with hollows. I'll be lucky if I even graduate from school at this rate."

"You can shut up now," Rukia said. "Put the skates on." Lithely, she lifted her foot in the air and twiddled her toes at him. "_Skates_," she repeated. She swung her own pure white ones at her side. "This'll be fun. Don't worry."

They finally stopped in his back yard.

"Ichigo," Rukia said.

"Hmm?" He grunted as he stomped and stomped and stomped, trying to get the stupid skate on his stupid foot, but it wouldn't _fit. _

"Do you have any neighbors who might be weirded out by strange happenings?"

Ichigo sighed. "Most of the neighbors are strange enough that strange happenings don't—" He stomped again, and growled in frustration. "—_get_ to them," he finished. Finally, the skate slid onto his foot. He figured that this was what a corset might feel like, if it was worn on one's foot.

Rukia dug into the large back she carried, and pulled out a small container. He recognized the happy bunny head on the top. Her gikongan—soul pills.

Chappy.

"Oh, no you don't!"

But she popped a pill, and before he could do a thing about it, her soul emerged from the gigai she resided in. Which meant that Chappy was in the gigai. His attention was soon torn rudely from Rukia's hyper replacement and placed on Rukia. In her shinigami form, she closed her eyes, reaching toward Sodeno Shirayuki's elaborate grip. Coldly, she withdrew the pure white zanpakutou.

Wait.

"Rukia? Rukia, what the _he—_"

She was in a fighting stance. A _fighting stance._

"Shut up, fool," she said. Taking a deep breath, she spoke, her voice smooth and toneless. "_Sodeno Shirayuki._" She opened her eyes. "First dance, white moon."

Ichigo honestly couldn't say what happened, but she swung the blade—

Then everything was white. When Ichigo dared to look, he was speechless. A thin, flawless expanse of ice reached to the edges of the back yard and no further.

Rukia smiled and replaced the blade. "See? There's your rink." She knelt, placing one elegantly slender hand upon the ice. She didn't flinch as her fingers touched the cold surface. After a few moments, she nodded and pulled away, flinging excess water from her hand with a flick. "It's flat enough to skate on," she said. Then she smiled. "I've always wanted to do something like that! I wasn't sure if I could control the circle of influence to that extent. I've never tried to do anything over a space so large before."

Ichigo gaped. "You mean—you could have frozen everything?"

She thought for a moment. "Yes."

"You—but—that's _stupid!_"

She shoved aside his objections. "It worked, didn't it? Get those skates on, and let's go."

"Rukia..."

She lifted the cloth of her shihakushou and slipped the skate onto her foot. It seemed so easy when she did it, almost as if her foot was meant to fit inside that little boot.

Ichigo gulped.

She...had _really_ nice legs.

"What the heck are you doing?" Somewhere between one moment and the next, there she was, standing next to him. "Your other skate," she said. "Put it on!"

"Yeah, yeah." He brutally stomped his poor foot into the skate. "Rukia... the truth is, I've never skated. Well... once. At a friend's birthday party, when I was _really _little. But I'm no good at it. I slammed into the wall and lost both front teeth."

"I'll teach you, then."

She took his hand and walked with him to the edge of the green grass. He heard the grass crunch beneath him—frozen by Sodeno Shirayuki's influence. Finally, they reached the edge.

And Ichigo realized how silly it was to be led by a girl over a foot shorter than him. _He could do this! _He withdrew his hand from hers.

"Are you sure, Ichigo?" She asked, lifting a skate onto the ice.

"Of course I'm sure! I'm not a baby. I can definitely nail this."

"If you say so." She shrugged. "It's not my problem."

He nodded, and she stepped onto the ice. He didn't move from his place on the grass for a moment, watching her. Her feet barely lifted from the smooth surface—she glided on the ice as if she belonged there. When his mind finally reminded him that he was supposed to be doing that, too, he looked down at his feet. Then he looked at the ice.

"This can't be that bad."

He lifted one skate onto the ice, and then the other.

And he learned that _yes, _it could be that bad. The ice was much slicker and smoother than any floor, so that the moment he stood, he was slipping. Since he wasn't too enthusiastic about falling flat on his bum, he tried to stay standing. For a whole thirty seconds or so, he flailed around; _then _he landed flat on his butt. Though the ice had been created, it was as real as any other ice.

She sighed and laughed, skating over to him with enviable ease. If he'd had the presence of mind, he might have been mad at her. His butt hurt too much to be mad. And it was _cold. _And wet. There she was, though, moving along as if the ice crystals were an extension of her body. When he thought about it, wherever he'd seen her, she'd always seemed just a little bit out of place. Here, though, with a soft mist rising from the ice, with the scrape of her skates upon the flawless surface, she seemed completely at home. This was her paradise, and he was in it with her.

She slid to an effortless stop several inches from him. "Need help?"

A battle between his brain and his pride ensued.

_Yes. Ask for help. You need it._

To which his pride screamed, _She's a girl! She's tiny! You can do this by yourself._

Common sense disagreed. _If you don't, your but is going to freeze off._

Out of interest for keeping that very vital part of himself, common sense won out. "Sure," he murmured gruffly. "Whatever."

She slid backward a few feet, crossing her arms behind her back. "Do you need help?" she repeated.

He paused. He glared.

She began to move away.

"Yes! Okay? Yes, I'm tired of sitting here. I hate water. I hate rain. I hate this freakin' ice. It's evil."

She nodded, smiling and skating in closer. "You get used to it." She held out her hand, and he took it. Bracing herself, she slammed a skate into the ice, leaning slightly forward and standing up as he did. Upright, Ichigo started to move. Rukia immediately grabbed him around the waist. "No. Not yet."

"Then what?" He could see his breath. She was inches away from him. Her hands were warm.

"You wait. Wait until you're balanced. Otherwise, you'll run off half-cocked like you usually do, and you'll break something. This is not about seeing who can move the fastest."

Ichigo nodded. _She was so close..._

"Are you ready?"

Was he? "I think."

"Okay. Start out slow. And by slow, I don't mean creeping. Skating isn't about walking on ice, so don't lift your feet and stomp them down. Just move. Like me."

Ichigo looked down at her feet.

"Not like that! You're going to trip if you only look down."

"Well, where do I look? There's no other place to look!"

Rukia sighed. "Look at me, then. And... move your skates like...this." She demonstrated as she spoke. "It's okay to look down just this once," she said. "Like this. All you have to remember is that it's not like walking."

He nodded. Then he staggered. Carefully, he regained his balance and started again. After about ten minutes of Rukia's tutoring, he was able to stand on his own, and move with at least a little bit of fluidity. He wasn't ready to do any acrobatics, but he was at least marginally secure on his own two feet. He thought it was an improvement. He thought, if he let go, he might have been able to skate on his own, but it didn't occur to him to pull his hand from Rukia's. It didn't seem to occur to her, either. Her bare hand, slender and warm, encased his.

"I think...I like this," Rukia spoke softly.

Ichigo started. _What the hell's she saying? _"What do you mean?"

"When I was first adopted into the Kuchiki household, I was able to pass and leave the academy without actually attending the whole period. When I got my zanpakutou...and learned her name... I would do this, sometimes. There was no one else. Renji was often busy, and...I think he believed that it was better for me, if he stayed away. He wanted to let me live the life we'd always wanted, so he didn't visit. And I was alone. I'd do it exactly like this, and I'd be there, day after day, on the ice. I always watched and hoped that, maybe, someone would join me. I wasn't picky. A servant would have been fine."

Ichigo didn't move much, but they were skating, the two of them, in a slow, slow circle. He wrapped his arms around her a little bit more. (He didn't want to fall, after all.)

Rukia continued, her voice softer than snowfall. "No one came. I was Kuchiki-_sama_, after all, a member of the noble house of Kuchiki. I heard the servants, sometimes. They'd say, 'oh, she looks so pretty,' or 'Kuchiki-sama is out there again, silly girl. She'll catch her death.' But no one ever joined me. This...is the first time I've ever been with someone like this. I was just saying that I like it. It's a bit like I hoped it would be."

Ichigo didn't know what to say. What _did_ one say when the tough girls went soft? He imagined that if he spoke a single word out of place, she would sullenly kick him, and he'd end up on the ice again. He dared to speak, anyway. "I'm glad," he said. There was so much more he could have said, but that summed it up. He was glad...that she could smile like this.

She lowered her head for a moment. "Thank you." She lifted her face, eyes bright. "Thanks for coming. I'm glad."

He felt the warmth of her body next to his, and the feel of her fragile hand around his. She, a shinigami, and he a human. If anyone were to look, it would seem like he, too, was standing by himself. In her shinigami form, free of any fake implements and invisible to normal people, she was just his.

And Ichigo wondered exactly when she'd become _his. _She'd kill him if she could read his thoughts.

Maybe.

Her fingers gripped his tightly.

_How long had she been alone?_

He closed his eyes, and he whispered, "I'm here."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** As my sister said when I showed this to her, this is probably one of the most sappy things I've ever written. I think Ichigo has the capacity to be slightly sappy, though. (Even when he avoids saying most things.) Anyway, I love Rukia's zanpakutou. It's so beautiful! I love her more solemn side, too. In fact, everything that is IchiRuki has completely entranced me. I hope this was a fun read! **Please review?**

**NOTE:** 1/03/08 I've been going through a writer's block for Bleach, so I probably won't be updating this collection often. I've hesitated to mark it as complete, though, because there are always new ideas, and since it's a collection rather than a connected story, I can't think of any way to make it seem really finished. I'll definitely update as the ideas come, though.

Thanks sincerely for reading.

-Alaena Night


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